


Home Again

by iHateFridays



Series: Home Again [1]
Category: Poptropica (Video Game)
Genre: Fanfiction, Friendship, Poptropica, home again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-03-09 21:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 61
Words: 204,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iHateFridays/pseuds/iHateFridays
Summary: Alice's life feels like a complete wreck. Every day she is bullied and dealing with physical - and mental - scars. Her lone solace is a simple computer game, Poptropica. One day she enters the game and her life changes forever... especially when she finds out she could bring the very end to this world, or save it with some friends. [OC story]Cover: http://fav.me/dc0jo5k





	1. Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing much to say, aside from that this story does contain a bit of bullying and some mild violence. And some crappy grammar. Thanks!

Alice Kate Manchester walked out of her classroom, cradling her maths books with her skinny arms. She stayed a distance behind everyone else, who were chattering away. The girl sighed and tightened her grip around the books. The class arrived at their lockers, still chatting away. They all stood there, so happy, so cheerful. Enjoying each other's company, like it was nothing in the world. Alice twisted open her locker lock with a pull. Why couldn't she have friends?

But then again.. Who would want to be friends with her?

The girl plopped her maths books away, grabbed her school bag and slung it over her shoulder. The weight almost made her fall over. Almost. She closed the beige locker, clicked the lock back on and set for the exit. She gave her legs as much power as she could to get her to the exit; away from that school. She needed to get away. Get away before-

"Crashice!" A taunting voice called from behind her. Alice almost stopped dead. Screaming at herself to move, she found every energy source in her body and forced it into her legs to run. Run and do nothing else. She sprinted to the exit, a sudden joy filling her body. She could make it. She could get away. Then it all came crashing down.

Alice didn't know what took her. Her leg just wobbled, and she tripped and landed on the floor with a crash. Her chest smashed on the stairs of the exit, sending pain all over her body. She heard daunting cackles from behind her.

"Surprise surprise, look what fell over again!" laughed the voice. A girl walked behind Alice, standing tall. She had armpit-length fiery red hair with bangs and diamond blue eyes. She was wearing jean-leggings that reached her ankles. Her flowy, grey, boat neck short sleeve t-shirt matched her white tennis shoes. She had a selection of golden bangles on her right arm. Alice resisted the urge to cry and squeal. Instead, she turned herself over onto her back, and fearfully got to her feet and faced the girl.

Alice herself had short, wavy, pale blonde hair that was tied back in a low pony tail. She was wearing a violet long-sleeve shirt, the collar done up with a line of black buttons. She had black tights underneath a knee-length black skirt. The outfit was completed with black boots.

"Leave me alone Chrissi..." Alice begged, her face showing shock and desperation. The taller girl ignored her and shook her fancy bangles in the Alice's face.

"What, without saying goodbye?" She hissed, fiercely shoving her hands on the blonde girl's shoulders, making her shiver. Alice sighed helplessly and looked away, at the close exit, like it was a gold nugget. Chrissi grabbed her chin and averted her attention back to her. She had a wicked grin on her face. "Oh, you wanna go see your mommy? Typical Crashice. You're always the big baby."

Alice squirmed and tried to get out of her grip. Her hand tried to reach for the other one clasped around her chin, but fear pulled it back.

"Does Crashice wanna go?" Chrissi said, with a babyish but evil tone. She shoved Alice back, and the girl landed on the hard floor, bumping her head on the staircase. She held back tears and clenched her fists, staring at Chrissi for mercy.

But Chrissi just laughed. "Did wittle Crashie get a boo boo? Ha. Have a nice day, Crashice. Hope you don't die from falling over the exit." She walked pass the fallen girl, her eyes narrowed evilly. Alice watched her leave until she was nothing more than a silhouette, then sighed hopelessly.

Her walk home was the same as usual. She tapped her feet along the normal path, her heavy bag slowing her down a bit. She arrived at a simple brick house, with a large stony path. Alice walked along the path she had been on so many times and opened the front door, breathing in the familiar essence of home.

"Hello Alice!" A cheery voice called from the kitchen.

"Hi." Alice muttered back, her voice drained compared to the caller. She trotted through the living room and glanced at the coffee table covered with newspapers. She came into the large, clean kitchen that was fairly well lit. A woman, with light brown hair tied into a ponytail and friendly brown eyes turned to the girl.

"How's my little star?" she asked, beaming at the girl. Alice sighed and put her bag down near the kitchen table. She began unloading all the homework and books that were inside, taking up half the room.

"The little star crashed." Alice replied, a tear falling from her eyes. It landed on her hand and she quickly shook it off, resuming sorting her homework.

"Don't talk like that, Al. You are so smart and beautiful; don't listen to Chrissi. She's insecure and jealous of you." The lady said, looking up from cleaning the dishes with a motherly gaze. Alice shook her head, her eyes getting watery.

"What is there to be jealous of? All I do all day is fall over and make a mess. I'm nothing but a big coward! You don't understand!" Alice cried, jumping up suddenly, "You'll never understand!" She ran away, ignoring her mother's pleas, to her room. She fell onto her bed and panted for a few moments, letting her stress out. Wiping her forehead, Alice stood on two feet, trying not to fall over and bang her head on her desk like she had done so many times.

Alice Manchester had always been slightly gangly. In her early childhood days, she had been involved in a tragic car accident where she had lost her father and permanently damaged her leg. The doctors had said she would be fine to walk around, she just needed to be careful. However, the accident had not just physically damaged her; it had taken away her courage and hope and was replaced with fear.

The physical damage itself had left her with a clumsy attitude. She fell over and dropped something at least three times a day, thus adopting the nickname 'Crashice'. Most people in the school called her that now, making life a living hell. Alice groaned with anger and grabbed out her laptop.

It didn't make sense. Didn't they understand she was disabled? But then again, she had always noticed they meant something else, too. She wasn't sure what. But she knew it was something other than her leg. Heating up, the laptop turned on, letting out a blast of light. Alice quickly searched her favorite game of all time, Poptropica.

A smile appeared on her face as a group of Poptropicans ran across a blue screen. She clicked 'returning player' and signed in. Soon, she was welcomed onto HUB island as her Poptropican, Fierce Fox. She chose that name because even if she couldn't be fierce, at least her Poptropican could.

Fierce Fox had long, wavy, fiery red hair reaching to the middle of her back. She had a black skirt, a yellow t-shirt with a music note and a black leather jacket. On her head, she had headphones and carried the 'Lighting Staff' item. Alice grinned as her Poptropican jumped across the screen and climbed up the rope, into her blimp. She rode over the islands and flew to her destination: Mythology Island.

"Let's go." Alice said, with a beam. Her Poptropican landed on Mythology Island, which is based off the ancient Greek Gods and myths. It was one of Alice's personal favorite islands. But it wasn't just that island she loved. She loved all of Poptropica.

Poptropica was the only thing that had kept Alice happy all these years. When people had bullied, shoved and teased her, Poptropica had given her a new light. It was seeing the sun after years of stormy weather.

"Fierce Fox is so lucky," Alice said, her eyes beginning to water. She started to blubber as her Poptropican climbed up Mount Olympus, to fight Zeus. "She gets a life full of adventure. All I get is just... Torture..." Alice began breathing heavily, allowing tears to fall. A couple splashed on her computer screen, making it blurry and wet.

"Foolish mortal! How dare you enter my realm!" Zeus cried, from the computer screen. His body was shining like lightning itself, and his face was a storm of darkness. Alice rolled her eyes; Zeus was so full of himself. He reminded her of Chrissi. The only difference was he always got his butt kicked. Chrissi always managed to top Alice.

The blonde-haired girl wiped off her tears and resumed playing the game. Zeus charged at the now-powerful Fierce Fox, who thanks to Alice safely dodged his strike. The avatar shot a bunch of lighting bolts at him, making him cringe and fall back. Aggravations burned into Alice's mind: Why couldn't she do that with Chrissi?

Some time later, Alice beat Zeus and Athena gave her the medallion for the 15th time. Alice's eyes became a waterfall as she laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She placed her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes, until they became red and blotchy. Alice bit her lip and clutched her laptop.

"All I want is something better," she sniffed. "Something better than my life..."


	2. The Escape

I was in a quiet field, that never seemed to end. It was just me, the grass, and the sky. I danced along the hills, my hair flowing in the wind. My leg had no pain whatsoever, and I felt free. Then I spotted a little red bird. It started to chirp. At first, I didn't take any notice of it. Soon, it got louder, and louder, and louder until-

"Alice!" a voice called, startling me awake. I stared around in confusion for a few moments, until I realized where I was. My bedroom. The female voice called once again, "Alice, get ready for school!" I sighed heavily. Why do all the good things have to be dreams? I lunged myself out of bed, falling onto my knees, shooting pain through my body. Great start to the day.

Wearing a long-sleeve white shirt, grey scarf, black boots and black leggings, I made my way down to the dining room. I could hear the T.V projecting out sound and light, with the viewer sitting down on the plump couch and eating an apple. My mom turned towards me and smiled comfortingly. I nodded back and focused on filling my bag with all my school work. Zipping the bag shut, I slung it over my shoulder while grabbing the kitchen bench for support as my leg wobbled. My mother came in the kitchen and beamed at me.

"Have a wonderful day, Alice!" she said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. She noticed my uncertainty. "You will do fine, Sweetie. Everything is going to be okay."

"Thanks..." I replied dryly, opening the door to the horrid world I lived in. If I was in a musical, I'd probably sing a song about my troubles. I sighed and trailed along the same road, waving to Mike the plumber and his family, hiding from a girl in my English class, and jogging across the busy crossing, trying not to knock over an old lady.

I eventually arrived at school, all in one piece. Clutching my timetable, I read over what I had first. History. I could do that. I patted my sore leg and looked around at everyone else, who were happily chatting. They're so... so lucky. They have normal legs and normal lives... Why can't I have that? It's so unfair... I shooed away my thoughts and focused on getting my things for History.

Surprisingly, the day went better than I thought. We had a sub for History and we practically got a free period to finish our homework (to some students, this means 'do nothing for an hour'). I managed to finish all my History and Maths homework, which cleared some of the food on my plate. Then we had Drama. Although I'm not very good at performing, it wasn't so bad and I actually had some fun. I didn't (well, almost) trip over! After that we had Science, which is the best subject ever so of course I enjoyed myself.

Lunch is where it all went downhill.

It started out okay. I managed to get a good spot in the line, next to all these big, burly boys. They were too busy talking to each other though, so I managed to avoid them. In front of me was a girl from my maths class who was really nice to everyone, even me.

Her name was Louisa (most people called her 'Lou'). She never called me Crashice and she sometimes said hello to me in the hallways. I beamed at her back; at least there was one nice person. That day she was wearing her special, really expensive brown leather jacket over a white tee; spanking new black leggings and red-rose glasses. Her soft, brown hair was pulled into a neat bun. She looked like a bit of a stereotypical nerd, but she was actually really bad at Maths and excellent at Phys Ed. It was lucky and all that I wasn't behind a bully, but the bad news was that a few people in front of her was... Chrissi. Great.

Louisa and Christina were best friends. They were attached to each other. It really didn't make sense to me; how is it that the nicest person and the meanest person are best friends?

Sighing, I grabbed a serve of salad and this weird sauce stuff. I put a couple of drops of the sauce on my plate and about 5 pounds of salad. So even if I'm clumsy, at least I can look healthy.

I looked at my skinny wrist and sighed deeply. My mother had tried to get me to eat more; I was on the borderline of Anorexia. Why don't I each much? I just couldn't eat anything... I wasn't even paranoid about being fat. I guess it was to do with me being downright clumsy... And afraid. I mentally argued with myself; eventually compromised and reached for the mustard bottle, so I could get some calories and sugar for the sake of my weight. But it was out of my reach.

"Do you want the mustard?" Louisa asked, kindly. If it was anyone else, I would've said no straight away. But it was Louisa, the nicest person in the school. I nodded slowly, keeping my legs steady so I didn't look like a bumbling idiot. She nimbly reached over and grabbed the bottle of mustard and handed it to me, not frailing at all.

"Thanks Lou." I said quietly, taking the plastic bottle of mustard. She nodded at me and turned to getting food for herself. I opened the top part of the bottle and got ready to squeeze it over my salad.

"Out of my way, Crashice!" one of the boys hissed behind me.

Then it all happened.

The boy shoved me, making me skid. To try to stay standing, I fiercely grabbed the mustard bottle, launching it onto its side and forcing my strength into it. It let out a blast of mustard, that landed all over a chatting Louisa. The mustard poured all over her clothing and some even went into her hair and mouth. It drenched her skin and her body, making her look horrid. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. So was everyone else. Some people around the cafeteria started giggling at her. They started calling her names like 'mustard girl'.

"My... Jacket!" she blubbered. She stared at me, as I tried to keep standing. She glared at me with something she had never glared at me with before: hatred. It stung worse than if she were to throw a knife at me. People pointed at her and took photos; others looked away in shame. "My jacket... My jacket that belonged to my mother who is..."

"Crashice! Why did you hurt my friend like that?!" hissed Chrissi, standing next to Louisa. She glared at the people laughing at Louisa, and they quieted down. Some people still took photos.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident!" I said, my voice cracking. I felt like I had just murdered someone. Why did I have to be so clumsy? "I just fell over-"

"I don't want to hear your stupid lies, Crashice. No wonder no one likes you." Louisa spat, wiping mustard off her face. The words hit me like bullets and I felt like vomiting. Chrissi glared at me. Everyone in the whole cafeteria stared at me. I got to my feet and gave my legs everything I had.

"Yeah, that's right, you little brat. No one wants you anymore. Go home and cry to mommy." jeered Chrissi, their stares burning my heart. One of her gang members came up behind me and fiercely grabbed my shoulders, making me shudder and forcing me not to move. Chrissi had a dark glare on her face, giving me butterflies. I spotted my lunch tray with my salad and grabbed it for hope. My hand landed on the edge of the tray, causing the salad to fling and spill everywhere; some of the juice landed on my shirt. My captor cringed a little bit, shutting his eyes.

"Crashice!" voices echoed from everywhere.

"Like her father!" I think I heard someone mutter, which confused me at the time. I shook it off with a heavy heart. One of my hands landed in a pile of mustard on the table, drying my skin in yellow mush. I noticed staff were coming over to see what was going on. The person holding me let me go with an innocent expression, leaving hand marks on my shoulders. Then I bolted.

I ran out of the cafeteria, the event breaking my weak soul. It was now a weak little bridge in a large war, and if it took one more hit, it would be gone. I had lost the only person who was nice. As I ran past the lockers, my leg stung and I tripped over, landing on my knees with a crack. My long sleeve got caught in someone's locker. I furiously pulled until the fabric snapped, leaving my sleeve with a hole missing. My leg stung like Hell, but not nearly as much as the burden I was at this school.

I burst the door open with a crash, sending a ear-shattering sound through the house. I heard a shuffling noise and I sighed.

"What on Earth..." my mother huffed, coming into the hall. She almost stopped dead when she saw me. "Alice Manchester! Why are you not at school?" I showed her my mustard covered hand, my torn sleeve and the patch of salad juice on my shirt. My leg had a brand new bruise and my hair was all puffy from stress. My mother raised an eyebrow.

"Because I'm worthless." I answered, sprinting up to my bedroom, ignoring my stupid leg. I slammed the door with a lot of force and face-planted on my bed. Great, now I was a criminal. No one wants me, no one needs me. What is my point of being around anymore?

"Alice! What's going on, Sweetheart? Please tell me!" My mother urged from outside of my room. I pressed my good leg on the face of the door and pushed as hard as I could. Mom was pushing back, the door handle turning and clicking. My leg wasn't going to cut it for much longer. I placed my whole body in front of the door and pushed, while I grabbed a heavy box of old school work and paper; it probably weighed more than I did. I pressed the box right up to the door, making sure it was secure. Mom kept knocking and shoving; the more she did the more I felt like crying. "Please, Alice! It's okay, mom's here."

"It's not okay! Why do you want to help me? Why do you even care about me? There's nothing you can do to help stupid, pathetic Crashice!" I bellowed, my voice cracking. I heard my mother sob for a moment.

"Oh, Alice. You're loved so much more than you know..." she muttered, before her footsteps disappeared in the distance. I'm not worth anything, not the brightest diamond or the smelliest sock. Of course no one likes me.. All I do is mess up things.. I have no purpose and no meaning. They're all right.

I went over to my bedside table, where there was a little silver box. It had patterns of unicorns and flowers embroidered all over it. I tapped the box; it made a little ding, almost making me smile. I opened it up and glanced at the contents. There was a picture of me when I was just starting school. I was smiling with my milk teeth and waving, Mom and Dad standing behind me; looking like giants and proud of their happy little daughter. My blonde hair was done into pig tails, really showing my age.

Then I saw my leg. It looked... Normal. I sighed and put the picture away, and grabbed a pink piece of paper, covered with 'well done!' stickers. It said, 'Alice Manchester. Awarded for being cooperate and respectful to fellow students.'

How cute, I thought. The next thing was a little golden ring, dotted with small blue gems and little swirl patterns. My mother had given it to me a few years ago. She told me it was real gold, but I now know it's just painted metal with plastic gems. Oh well. The next thing was a blue, plastic wristband from some sort of Cancer foundation.

Then I found the best item in the mix. It was a little orange Poptropica badge, that said 'Poptropica' in big, blue, puffy writing. I put on my little badge and went up to my large mirror, and proudly glanced at myself. It actually put a little smile on my face, and cleared the thoughts I had. But the badge couldn't keep them away forever, and eventually tears rolled down my face.

No one likes you. The words stung my head like a bullet. It had always been like that after the accident. Now it was even worse, since probably everyone thought I was psycho. I had no one... Nothing...

"Great..." I mumbled, flopping onto my bed and closing my eyes, allowing my pillow to get wet with tears and the sob train to pull into the station.

A few hours later..

Half my pillows were damp with tears, but I didn't care. I reached for my laptop and switched it on, the screen almost blinding me. I opened up the internet, and while letting it load, I grabbed my Dr. Hare plush from the cupboard and put it in my lap. I didn't really care if I was acting like a 'baby' or something; I already squirted someone with mustard. It didn't matter. I clutched my little badge and wrapped my arm around Dr Hare, while I booted up Poptropica.

"Please. Show me there's still something to live for." I begged to the screen, as I clicked to sign into Fierce Fox. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light, and my whole view was filled with white. There were no sounds, just light.

I opened my eyes, feeling around myself. The whole world looked... More colourful to say the least.

"Where.. Where am I?"


	3. Monkey Wrench

I stood up and looked around at this new world. The sky is a brilliant blue and little puffy clouds are here and there. I was standing on a stone bridge, which was connected with metal rods and hanging high above the ocean. On my right there's a small, dirty, light ocean coloured plane, that looks like it has been taken from the 1900s. It also has a bit of wear and tear, with little scratches on its surface. A girl was standing near it. I gasped; I recognized her. She was Amelia.. Amelia from Poptropica. But not only that. I was actually in Poptropica.

I breathed out very quickly and stumbled back, my head spinning. How on Earth can I be in Poptropica? I was there, on my computer, about to sign in... Then there was a flash... What happened? I clutched my forehead with my thumb-less hand. I squealed and looked at my body, my nausea kicking into high gear. I was about to fall over again, when an arm grabbed me. Amelia smiled at me. She wears a leather cap with a yellow eagle print; flight goggles on her neck; a brown zip-up jacket and leather pants.

"You alright?" she asked, helping me stand still. My nausea started to clear- although I had to blink a few times to get myself back into the now. I nodded, miming as words couldn't even come to my lips. "What's your name, sweet pea?" she asked with kindness. I sighed.

"Alice... My name's Alice..." I answered quietly, putting my hands by my side. I hoped for dear God that she heard me; I could be very quiet. She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Alice! My name's-"

"Amelia?" I interrupted, the words leaving before I could stop them. I clasped a hand over my mouth, mentally slapping myself.

"Yeah... that's right... How did you know?" Amelia asked, staring at me suspiciously.

I shrugged, my forehead sweating, "Uh... lucky guess? You look like... A famous person." I blurted out, mentally kicking myself. She beamed at that.

"Thank you, Alice! I assume you know about this?" Amelia asked, tapping the side of her plane. I gulped.

"Yeah... You're going to enter a race with it." I mentally beat myself up. SHUT UP! I screamed at myself. Amelia was shocked again.

"You have a lot of lucky guesses, Alice. I'm definitely entering a race, but I'm just waiting for a friend," she said, tapping her chin. "You haven't seen anyone called Fierce Fox, have you?" My whole body froze when she said that name. I felt my heart beat furiously and my head pound. I didn't know what to say as every time I tried to find words, my mouth became dry. I swallowed and used my miming skills that I'd used to teachers and pretty much everyone else I had ever known. That was by shaking my head.

Amelia shrugged. "Oh well, I'm sure she'll be here soon. Would you like to learn how to change your appearance?"

"Um... no thank you..." I answered, feeling a bit awkward. Well, it was a game after all; of course she would ask questions like that. Then it hit me: my appearance! I looked at my hands again, minus the thumbs. After being a human for my whole life, seeing my hands without thumbs was quite an experience. I looked at my body, realizing that it was... Different. I was shaped like a potato, and my legs were skinny. "I need a mirror," I mummered.

Then I remembered: there was a clothes store- New You- on HUB island! I ran past Amelia, my legs speeding like motorcycles. Wait... I stopped, staring at my legs. Since when can I run like that? Since when can I run so... So well? Then I realized: my leg wasn't limp. It didn't sting, calling for me to fall over. In fact, I felt as strong as soldier. I grinned and entered the New You building, which gave me a flash of nostalgia.

In front of me was a lady with brown hair, tied up into a bun. Little strands of her hair come out from the side. She carries a pair of scissors and wears a purple cardigan; beige buttoned-up t-shirt and a brown skirt. On her left, there are fashion drawings of poptropicans and sewing guides. There's also a sewing machine, and a box of fabrics. Above her is a platform, with three costumes on three mannequins. A blue striped curtain with a yellow, frilly lining is above them and trails down the sides of the wall.

"Hello dear! Can I help you?" the woman asked sweetly, her eyes scanning my clothing.

"I... just need a mirror." I breathed, my head still dizzy from how on Earth I was in Poptropica.

"If you say so! We all need a mirror, don't we?" the woman chuckled, going over to a little desk. She opened up a draw attached to the desk and pulled out a little mirror. She handed it to me.

I looked at myself in the mirror and gasped. I have skinny arms and legs, and my body is the shape of an oval. My clothing's the same as what I wear when I'm in my world: my white v-neckline with long sleeves; grey scarf; black boots and leggings. I also still have my blonde, wavy hair that reaches to my shoulders. However, my brown eyes turned into black pupils.

"Your outfit is very chic. I don't see outfits like yours often; you're quite a star." The lady said, after I had handed her back the mirror. I nodded in thanks then left the store. My head started swimming again with questions: Why am I here? How did I get here? What's going to happen? Where's Fierce Fox? I slowly walked past New You and stood between it and the bridge.

Suddenly, somebody ran past me, knocking me onto the ground and causing stars to fly around my head.

"There goes my not-falling over." I grumbled, as I opened my eyes to adjust to what happened. I winced, expecting to feel pain, but I didn't. Well, I did, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It felt like just a little sting. Then, a hand appeared before me, helping me to my feet.

"Sorry." its owner said, standing in front of me. I gasped when I saw who it was.

"Fierce Fox?" I blurted out, my head swaying all over again. She stared at me, tapping her chin.

"How do you know my name?" Fierce Fox asked, staring at me with a mix of intimidation and suspicion.

"Uh... I've seen your face before..." I answered shakily, mentally harassing myself. I saw her left eye twitch, but she shook it off with her long, red hair.

"But I've never seen you. What's your name?" she asked, her foot tapping on the ground. I gulped, using everything in my power to keep my cool.

"Alice." I replied, my fingers laced together.

"Hm... Nice to see you then, Alice. Now if you excuse me-"

"You're off on a race with Amelia?" I spluttered. My brain went into a mental rage out at myself. Oh, you idiot!

"How did you know that?" Fierce Fox asked, more suspiciously. I could already see that she didn't trust me.

"Um… Amelia told me." I answered, with a breath of relief. Fierce Fox snorted and turned around, facing the bridge. Oddly, she stood there, not doing anything. I stood next to her, feeling more awkward than ever.

"Uh.. what are you doing?" I asked shyly, biting my lip.

"Waiting." she answered, tapping her foot and performing the famous waiting motion.

"For what?"

"The voice, duh."

"The what?!" I asked, my voice suddenly loud. I mentally kicked myself. She turned to me, more confused than ever.

"You don't know about the voice? Every Poptropican has a voice. It's like an arrow in your head, almost, that tells you where to go and what to do," she answered, staring at me. "Don't you have the voice?"

"Oh... Um... Of course I do." I lied, shaking my head, realizing. The voice is like an arrow that's in your head.. It tells you where to go and what to do..Then the voice must be the players! I silently gasped. I'm Fierce Fox's voice! I control her and let her jump... It makes sense!

"So... did the voice tell you to come here?" I asked, trying to sound as brave as possible. Fierce Fox stared at me like I was an idiot.

"Were you created yesterday? The voice calls me when it needs me. It said around here somewhere, so now I wait for it." she answered, giving me a weird look. I gasped again. Well, since I'm in Poptropica and not my world... I'm Fierce Fox's voice... Of course she would come to me! I was like a mother to a duckling. Inhaling deeply, I stared at Amelia. I trotted up the bridge, briefly glancing at Fierce Fox. Placing myself in front of the pilot; she turned to me and smiled.

"Hello Alice! Have you seen Fierce Fox?" she asked brightly. Just like that, Fierce Fox stood in front of me and faced Amelia. The pilot beamed at her. "Hello Fierce Fox! Are you ready to start the race?" Fierce Fox tapped her chin, thinking away.

"Say 'yes, let's go'." I said into her ear, like the voice. She stared at me.

"Um... Yes, let's go." she said to Amelia. The pilot clapped her hands together and climbed into her plane's backseat. Her finger pressed a button, turning on the rusty but well-working engine.

"Climb in, Fierce Fox!" Amelia said, gripping the steering wheel. Fierce Fox jumped (literally) from her spot and into the front seat. It confused me why Fierce Fox was in the front; wasn't Amelia the pilot? Then said pilot turned to me. I knew she was going to leave me here, all on my own. That wouldn't surprise me. Who would want to fly with Crashice? Who would want to talk to Crashice? Who would want to do anything with Crashice?

Amelia looked at me, sympathy in her eyes. "Wanna come with us, Alice?" Fierce Fox and I were both shocked by this. I mean, they barely knew me! Maybe that was a good thing…

"But.. how will she fit in?" Fierce Fox asked, with a scowl. I don't think she was fond of me. That didn't surprise me.

"Well..." Amelia said, tapping her chin. She squished over to the side, leaving a space next to her. She patted down on the leather seat. "You can sit next to me." I gulped, feeling overwhelmed with niceness. No one had ever invited me to do something with them. Maybe it was because she just didn't know I was Crashice, the girl was now a criminal at school.

"Are you sure? I mean... It's nice and all... But..." You don't know what will happen with me, I mentally finished. Amelia just nodded, welcoming me aboard. I sighed and slowly climbed into the plane, with a bit of help from Amelia (I wasn't the best at getting into things). The plane took off into the sky and I tried not to scream. I don't really like planes either.

We flew high up into the sky, where we were surrounded by other aircrafts. I recognized a helicopter from Reality TV Island, a balloon chair from Cryptids, a robot phoenix from Astro Knights and a flying ship from Skullduggery. The ocean is full of little green islands with trees. A referee, standing on a floating platform and holding a race flag, beamed at us.

"The prize is this medallion," The referee said, holding a shiny, golden circle-shaped necklace attached to a red leash. Everyone stared at it hungrily (in a competitive way). The referee turned to Fierce Fox, "Are you ready to go?" I leaned towards her.

"Say 'yes'." I whispered. I saw her body stiffen at the sound of my voice.

"Yes." Fierce Fox said, staring at the referee. He waved his flag, and our plane zoomed off.

"Woohoo!" cried Amelia. At least she was having a good time; I was downright terrified. I looked out of the plane and saw that we were second place. I avoided making eye contact with the ground, as I didn't want to have a panic attack. Suddenly, up ahead, I spotted a red plane similar to ours. However, it was much newer and it had a target under the wing and on the tail.

"The Red Baroness!" I cried, as we neared her plane. She turned to us with a wicked smile.

"Your little friend is correct!" she cackled. Her hands were behind her back, and I knew she was going to throw a wrench at us. "Sorry to throw a wrench in your plans!"

"MOVE!" I screamed, my voice aching from the cry. But it was too late. The wrench smashed onto the plane, damaging the engine. It went up in a puff of smoke, and we started falling down. There was a lot of smoke and dust, blinding me. I didn't know which way was up anymore. I think we were going down. I found my arms and legs, forcing myself into a little ball, hoping we'd survive.

"Alice," a voice said near me. "We're okay." I curled up from my ball and looked around. I was still in the backseat, somehow alive. In fact, I did not have one scratch. Boy, I was thankful I was in Poptropica and not in my world. If I was, I'd be very dead. Then I looked around, instantly recognizing that we were on Monkey Wrench Island. There are green trees everywhere, along with green grass and leaves on the floor. Every now and again I spotted a piece of disregarded stone.

Amelia was next to me, thinking. "Do you know where Fierce Fox is?" she asked, looking at her plane. "Oh dear. We're a bit stuck." We both looked at the plane. Its wheels had been caught in some foliage, and we were dangling above the ground.

"Yeah. Fierce Fox is back that way." I said, pointing behind us. I bet she was happy she didn't end up with me. The pilot gave me a curious look.

"How do you know that?" Amelia asked, briefly gazing at the engine. Her view turned back to me, then she smiled. "Another lucky guess?"

"Yep. I suppose so." I answered, with a nervous chuckle. Amelia patted my shoulder.

"You are interesting, Alice," she replied, tugging at the foliage. "I'd like to get to know you better if weren't stuck in a tree." That sentence warmed my heart. It felt strange, too. No one apart from my family had ever said something so nice to me before. I suddenly felt like the weak bridge that was my soul was starting to get a little stronger, like someone had put tape over it to try to get it to stand tall.

"Thanks," I replied, looking behind me. I heard a squeal of monkey from far away. I raised my voice as loud as I could. "Follow it!" I cried, hoping that Fierce Fox would hear it.

"Hm... I think the propeller is broken..." Amelia mused, staring at the propeller.

"It's more than the propeller," I said to her, although my voice was distracted. I kept looking over the edge, hoping that Fierce Fox and the monkey would come running. Eventually she did come, following a little monkey. I waved to them, "Fierce Fox! Jump up here using those platforms," I pointed to a bunch of stone pillars, "Then jump on the plane twice!"

She stared at me, on the path of becoming a glare. The monkey was somehow already on the plane (thanks, Poptropica logic) and jumping on it. Fierce Fox leaped up the platforms like an acrobat and joined the monkey on the plane. She reluctantly followed my instructions and jumped on the plane, causing the foliage to snap and us to fall to the ground.

"Whoa! Right again, Alice!" Amelia said, as we climbed out of the plane. I saw Fierce Fox wince from that compliment. Amelia patted my shoulder. "Now we just need a wrench." I was already heading off to the beach, where I knew the wrench was being held by a crab. Whenever I was replaying Poptropica islands and I knew all the dialogue, I usually did that with Fierce Fox. Running straight to the action.

The monkey followed me and we ended up on said sandy beach. There are two piles of rocks facing each other, with a large, see-saw-like rock sticking out from each of them. The crab was hiding under the right one, clutching a wrench in its claws. The monkey, knowing what to do jumped on the see-saw rock, forcing the crab out. It waddled across the sand and hopped under the left rock.

"Oh no you don't." I said, walking over to the rock. I climbed up onto the rock (I didn't want to jump as I had feeling something would go wrong) and my weight forced it down, shoving the crab out into the open. It looked around, stressing out like I did when I had a speech in front of my class. Its pupils narrowed and it burrowed into the sand, leaving behind the wrench. I walked over and picked it up in my hand. For some odd reason, it glowed, then floated into a leather backpack on my back. I immediately recognised the backpack as the item bag.

"How did that get there?" I asked, reaching out to touch it. But as I did, the backpack turned invisible. "Okay..." I assumed that's what Poptropicans saw when they collected items. The monkey squeaked, bouncing in front of me. I smiled, "Chill out, little guy. Come on, let's go back to the others."

The monkey ran off, showing his energy as he bounded back up the rocks. I slowly followed after him, my legs feeling rather light. They haven't felt this good since... I don't even know how long ago. The monkey and I returned to Fierce Fox, whose face had a stormy look, and Amelia, who on the other hand, looked happy to see us.

"Did you find the wrench?" Amelia asked me. I nodded, and just as I did, the bag appeared on my back. I tried not to look alarmed at the fact that a backpack had just poofed onto my back. I wondered if they could even see it. Anyway, I grabbed out the wrench and handed it to Amelia.

She plopped it on the ground and stared at me. "Do you know how to use it?" My eyes went wide and I shook my head. I had no experience of craftsmanship, so I was going to be useless. But I knew someone who did.

"Fierce Fox knows how to use it." I said quietly, staring at said grumpy girl, who was watching us with envy. She heard her name come from my mouth and turned to me, obviously trying her best not to lash out at me. She put on a sweet smile.

"I do know how to use it." she said, walking over to us and picking up the wrench. Her eyes settled on the plane and she jumped on it with ease. She twisted the propeller back on with a few turns of the wrench. When she was done, the wrench vanished from her hand. I assumed that it went into her inventory.

"Looks good! Come on, let's fly." Amelia said. She saw me shaking my head and raised an eyebrow.

"It's not going to work," I said. "The plane is more broken than just the propeller."

"How do you know?" Fierce Fox and Amelia asked at the same time. However, Fierce Fox was much more aggressive. Amelia, on the other hand, chuckled.

"Another lucky guess?" Amelia asked, with a shrug. "Or you know a thing or two about planes."

"Yeah, but how can you even prove that it's broken?" questioned Fierce Fox, staring at me with more suspicion than ever. I ignored my heavy breathing.

"It... it just won't work... Look." I said, going over to the front of the plane. I tapped the front of the plane; the engine coughed out a lot of smoke.

"So what do we need to do then, know-it-all?" asked Fierce Fox, her stare now a glare. Amelia shrugged. I suppose 'know-it-all' was better than Crashice.

"We need to go this way." I said, pointing to a raised platform of dirt, that is spread out for the rest of the island. I knew if we went that way it would take us to Crusoe and his hotel. The monkey caught my eye and jumped up to the top.

I looked back at the other two, "Follow him." Amelia jumped over my head, landing gracefully on top of the platform. Fierce Fox followed, giving me a glance before she disappeared after Amelia. I stared at the platform, my legs trembling and my lip quivering.

"Come on Alice, stop being a coward and jump." I scolded myself, as well as a mental slap. I bent my legs and sweat covered my face. Then memories came back from the time my school went to the gym. We were jumping off platforms and everyone was doing so well. Everyone but me. I tried to jump off, but I just twisted my leg and squealed like a baby. Tears had filled my eyes and everyone was watching, laughing at me.

"CRASHICE! CRASHICE!" they had called, their voices burning my brain. "CRASHICE CAN'T JUMP!"

I zapped back to the now and looked around. I stared at the platform and sighed. I walked over to it and dug my feet and hands in the dirt, like a climbing wall. Hauling myself up, I eventually made it to the top and ran after the other two. I tried to ignore the sweat all over my body.

I walked into a zone where there is a large frame work construction made out of bamboo, attached to a large tree stump. There's a stone statue of a monkey, with a water stream coming out of its mouth, near Amelia. Monkeys are everywhere, pulling and pushing things.

There is a little bamboo desk at the front, supported by a part of a statue. I saw there is a bamboo umbrella with large green leaves and a little bell.

"Hello Alice! Where have you been?" Amelia asked me, as I stood next to her. I gulped.

"Um," I started, searching my brain for excuses. I could see that Fierce Fox was staring at me, darkness leaking out of her eyes. "Let's see who's home." I said, running over to the bell on the desk. I tapped it with the tip of my finger; it sent a ring through the air.

A man ran over to the desk, sitting on the statue. He has slick brown hair with grey streaks, roughly combed back. He has a brown, fluffy beard covering his face, and a bubble pipe in his mouth. His clothing consists of a white t-shirt; a grass skirt and a brown, wooden-like jacket.

"Ah... fellow adventures!" he chorused, his eyes drifting on us. Then he glared at the monkey, who was watching us from the side. "Mongo? No uniform in front of our guests?! Scat!" he barked. Mongo squeaked and ran away, only to be replaced by a brown monkey with a monocle and a uniform.

"We can't stay, we have to win the Flying Ace Race!" Amelia said, her voice frantic. Crusoe smiled and nodded.

He recited, "A race, you say? Reminds me when I was a young adventurer. I was a young man preparing to live my dreams-"

"Excuse me," I piped up, but he didn't seem to hear me.

"Everyone wants to follow their dreams, but mine were different-"

"Excuse me," I tried again, a bit louder. But he still didn't hear me.

"My father was always supportive, but even he couldn't keep up-"

"Crusoe!" I said, my voice cracking. He turned to me and stared.

"Well hello young lady! Might I ask, how do you know my name? Or, perhaps you have heard it?" he asked, proudly grinning. I nodded, hopefully not looking panic-struck. He looked quite pleased, so I don't think I did. I looked back at the others; Amelia winked at me while Fierce Fox scowled. He turned to Amelia. "But I digress. You want to re-enter the race?"

"Yes. Can you help us?" Fierce Fox asked, her gaze on the tropical man. I watched her stand a little closer to Amelia, so it looked like I wasn't part of the group. I sighed; I was used to that.

"Of course! Just bring me some rope, a cloth and a refreshing fruit drink." Crusoe answered.

"A rope, a cloth and a drink? We can find those." Amelia said. She did a flip in mid air and jumped over to the large stump, in front of the bamboo frame. It's made completely out of bamboo, with lots of mechanical parts embedded in it. I saw sharp blades, covered with dried up fruit juice. There is a little wooden spout at the front, along with a red lever. The words 'Crusoe's castaway retreat' are written on the stump.

Fierce Fox joined Amelia and they both stared at the machine. I stood in front of them from my ground position. I knew that Crusoe was actually going to use the things we were finding to make a hammock. I debated with myself whether I should tell them or not.

"Guys, I know where we can find those items," They both looked at me. "Fierce Fox, you'll need to help that monkey," I pointed to the highest, bamboo platform where a tired monkey was trying to pull a lever, "Once you help that monkey, the bag of fruit will explode, putting the fruit everywhere. You'll fall down that slide," I pointed a long, curly slide, "Get back up and push the fruit into a little rectangle-shaped box-"

"Yeah, I think I got it. Thanks, know-it-all." Fierce Fox turned around to start jumping, but she suddenly stopped and turned back to me. "Wait... if you know all this, then why don't you do it?"

"Um..." I mumbled, my lips going dry. "I have a leg injury." Fierce Fox scoffed and started doing what I told her. I felt strange saying that. Whenever we did P.E, I couldn't participate because of my leg. I always had to tell the teachers why, and eventually, they gave up asking because they already knew. That was the first time I had ever used that excuse while knowing in my heart it wasn't true. That sucked, because it was probably the only time in my life where I actually needed my leg to be bad.

"Day dreaming, are you?" Amelia asked, watching me from the edge of the platform. "I'm always day dreaming. Well, the voice always tells me to let Fierce Fox do all the work. It tells me to stay here and watch. I've always wondered why."

"Yeah, me too." I said, glancing up at Fierce Fox, who was pulling the lever with the monkey. Just like I said, the fruit bag exploded and she flew down the slide. She popped out into the little river near the slide and rubbed her head. A rope banged against her body, and added itself into her inventory. She scowled and wiped off the water. But I don't think she was scowling because of the water. I think she was scowling because everything I said was right, again. Amelia noticed too.

"I have a question, Alice. Don't take me for being rude, but how do always seem to know what to do and what's going to occur? One person can't have that many lucky guesses," she said, staring at me. I felt the hairs on my arms stand up. Then she said something that really shattered my plates. "You remind me of the voice."

"Um..." I started, lacing my fingers together. Then we both heard a noise near us. The juice machine was working, letting sweet pink juice flow into a little coconut cup. Fierce Fox hopped back down, panting.

"That was a lot of work for one little drink," she muttered, staring at me. "I suppose your 'leg injury' wouldn't be able to take it." I watched her pick up the drink and I forced back tears. Maybe I was in my world after all... My leg always pulling me back.

"Take everything to Crusoe." I said, my voice strained. I felt my head pound at me for being so stupid and so cowardly... I should've helped... I should've jumped... But I didn't. All I did was lay back like a slacker. I didn't have my leg injury anymore; why can't I take advantage of it?

Oh, that's right. Because I am Crashice, the worthless, little crap.

I watched Fierce Fox give everything to Crusoe. He gleamed.

"No one is to disturb me. I must have complete concentration." he said, running off. So you can have complete concentration to sleep, I thought with a scowl. We waited a few minutes before I decided to speak again.

"He's gone off to make a hammock with the stuff we found," I explained to the girls, "He's probably snoozing now." They both stared at me.

"How do you know that?" Fierce Fox asked, with a perpetual scowl, "In fact, how do you even know if you're right?"

"I've been right every other time, haven't I?" I said, immediately regretting my words. Fierce Fox clenched her fists in frustration of the truth. My heart filled with sorrow. "Sorry." I said.

"Whatever," she huffed, but then her face went confused, "Where is he?" I pointed to the upper right, past a few bamboo platforms. A glimpse of Crusoe's hut caught my eye, with its green banana tree leaves. I watched Fierce Fox hop up the path I had pointed, and Amelia followed.

I gulped and realized I was going to have to jump if I wanted to follow them. The both of them stood there, staring at the snoozing Crusoe, without me. But that didn't surprise me; I was always the one who was left out. Then I heard Amelia's voice.

"Alice! What are you doing down there?" she called, from the high platform, "Aren't you coming up?"

"I don't know if I can." I replied, tears almost coming to my eyes. They wanted me to be with them.

Up there. All three of us. "I've got a leg injury." I was coming very close to physically harming myself with my own lies.

"You do?" Amelia said, sounding surprised, "Um... Stay down there then. Well, it turns out you were right anyway; Crusoe did use those supplies to make a hammock!" she said this with a laugh. "Oh, and you should see his design!" I knew she was talking about that scrappy drawing that Crusoe made.

"The monkey has a better one." I called back, staring up at the top, feeling insanely stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if they took off and left me here. Who would want someone like me hanging around?

Amelia and Fierce Fox were staring at the much more impressive diagram that the monkeys had given them. Then, the monkeys skidded past me, carrying the Poptropica blimp. They placed it onto the stump, right in front of the juice machine. Amelia and Fierce Fox gaped at it for a few moments. The monkeys surrounded the blimp, squealing and squeaking. They looked at me, eye gesturing to climb in. I just bit my lip. I saw Amelia jump down from the top and into the blimp, followed by Fierce Fox.

"Come on, Alice!" Amelia said, looking at me, "Hop on in!" Fierce Fox just scowled and turned her back. Amelia ignored her and held out her arm. I sighed, went to the side of the stump, and stepped on the roots. I stepped up onto the stump and took Amelia's hand. She hauled me into the blimp, and it started to rise into the sky.

"Where's Crusoe? Oh wait, I bet psychic girl knows." said Fierce Fox, as we brushed past leaves of the tree. I could hear the squeals of the monkeys and possibly the snores of Crusoe.

"Um... I don't think you'll want to know..." I said quietly, staring at the bright blue sky. Fierce Fox gave me a weird look as we rised higher into the sky. Soon, the forest was behind us, and I could see the other aircrafts. The Red Baroness was also up ahead, making me shiver.

"We're back!" cried Amelia. She turned to Fierce Fox and I. "Let's drop these bags to catch up." Fierce Fox (somehow) cut off one of the bags, and it fell down to the ground. We thrusted forward a bit, nearing the front.

Amelia clapped, "It's working, drop more!" Fierce Fox dropped another one, and we flew forward again. I dropped the bag on the furthest right, just by touching it, and we ascended further. We were directly behind the Red Baroness.

"You again?" she hissed. Her plane descended and smashed into our basket, making it wobble. I fell out of the side, but I just managed to grab onto the edge of the large bag with Crusoe. My legs dangled down, facing the long, long drop.

"Good save, Alice!" Amelia said, reaching out to grab me. However, she was too high up to reach me, and my hands were getting loose. The cloth was slipping between my fingers, and I was holding on at the very bottom of the cloth.

"It won't be so good when you fall!" cried the Red Baroness, chucking a crowbar at me. It hit me in the side, making my head dizzy. However, I was perfectly fine after that.

"I don't get Poptropican physics." I mumbled. My hands were getting tired, delaying my time hanging from that monstrosity. Suddenly, I saw Amelia facing me, her legs being carried by a grumpy Fierce Fox. Amelia held out her arms, which were close to the top of the bag.

"Grab on, Alice!" she urged, reaching out for my hands.

"Come on Alice." I muttered to myself, preparing to let go with my left arm to grab Amelia's. But I couldn't. Something was stopping me. Something was stopping me from facing the truth. "I can't." I breathed, looking away. Something was stopping me... Is it because the last time I tried to grab onto something I lost the only nice person? Fierce Fox was grunting and Amelia sighed.

I bit my lip. "Sorry." For you having to put up with such a cowardly, clumsy idiot, I finished in my head. Amelia sighed and signaled Fierce Fox to haul her lower. The pilot grabbed my hands and pulled me back up. She swung me back into the basket, where I slumped down to the side, the back of the basket digging into my skin. No wonder they call you worthless. You can't do anything yourself.

"Drop the last bag!" Amelia ordered Fierce Fox. My Poptropican reached out to clip the big bag off, when Crusoe burst up from the bag. "Crusoe?"

"My airship worked? I mean, of course it worked!" laughed Crusoe, sipping his drink.

"Get rid of the wrench." I said, halfheartedly to Fierce Fox. She got it out of her inventory and chucked it, the item almost landing on the Red Baroness' plane.

"Hey! You almost hit me!" she growled. But I could see she was sweating. We were catching up.

"It's still not enough!" Amelia cried, our blimp still behind the Red Baroness.

"Ask Crusoe to get a refill of his drink, then throw it over into the Red Baroness' plane." I ordered, staring at my hands. I watched my said actions happen, along with the Red Baroness' beloved plane break down and crash down to the ground. Our blimp was lighter, but I knew that since I was never originally here, it was still heavier. However, on the flip side, we were in front.

"Come on, we're nearly there!" Amelia said, as we passed the finish line. There was a flash of confetti as the referee waved his flag.

"Congratulations! You are the winners!" he cried, as Fierce Fox and Amelia had a little dance. I was too sad to join in.

We returned to HUB island, where the referee put a medallion around Fierce Fox's neck. Confetti was sprayed everywhere and there were flashing lights.

"Thank you everyone!" Fierce Fox cried, tapping her medallion. I knew when she said 'everyone' she didn't include me. Who would?

"Good job, Alice," Amelia said, patting my shoulder. "You were quite helpful." Suddenly, as I was about to verbally protest, my vision was overcome with white. "Alice?" The world was blurry and the sound was gone.

"Alice?" That voice was familiar. My eyes fluttered open and I stared around. It was my bedroom. My bed. My house. I was clutching my laptop and my Dr. Hare plush was near my face. My leg was back to normal as well. I had never been so relieved in my entire life that my leg was back to its crappy state. But that relief didn't last long. I had never entered Poptropica.

"It was just a dream." I sighed, laying back on my pillow.

"Alice?" The voice said again. My bedroom door opened and I saw my mom, standing there with a pale face. Oh no. I've been suspended. I could tell just by looking at her.

"Alice, they said yesterday that you apparently squeezed mustard on someone at school," she breathed in, her face turning bright again, "However, security cameras caught you slipping and grabbing onto it to keep yourself standing. So you're not suspended or in trouble." I breathed out in relief. "But they've been so kind to give you this..." My mom brought out a crutch. I gulped. "The school gave it to you."

"Great. Hell, here I come..." I mumbled, shoving my face into my pillow.


	4. Early Poptropica

~ALICE~

My mother shoved the clutch right under my armpit, sending a stab of shock through my body.

Great. I was done. My life was screwed. I glanced at the woman with depressed, teary eyes. She looked back at me with sympathy, but her lip quivered. The look in her eyes said 'I'm sorry'.

"I'll drive you today, Alice. How about that?" she offered, in her kindest voice. My face didn't even twitch. I wasn't sure if I was more angry or sad, especially with that crutch stabbing my armpit. Mom put her hands on my shoulder. "Look..." She stopped for a moment, as if the words couldn't form on her tongue. I considered helping her find the words, but my own tongue was dried up. A great help that would be.

My mother released her hands and bowed her head, like she was getting a punishment. "Maybe... Maybe you should stay home today… If you want..." She looked at me, as if those words hurt to say. I think her words were just as muddled as mine in this situation. Maybe less, as she could actually speak. All I did was look at the floor.

"I'll take that as a yes, love," Mom sighed, staring at me, with more sympathy. "Are you alright? What really happened yesterday?"

"I want to go to school." I blurted out. The words hit me in the head and in the heart, like I couldn't control them. But there is always a reason why words hit you. I just didn't know why the words hit me at the time. My mother raised an eyebrow, like a police officer.

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded, grabbing my clutch tighter than before. Perhaps it was my courage that made me say those words... No... I didn't have any courage.

"I have... A history test," I lied. I eye-gestured to the door. "Come on, we'll take the car."

The tension in the car burned my soul more than I thought it would. Mom and I didn't speak a word to each other, our throats clogged by our own fear. I was both relieved and horrified when our car pulled into the school carpark. Then I started regretting coming to school. What was I thinking? But it was too late to turn back... Besides... Home would just be as awkward as ever..

I went over to the boot and pressed the button. It flung open, revealing my black school bag. I grabbed it and flung it over my shoulder, trying to ignore the pressure it physically put on me. I was already overloaded with my mental crap.

"Alice, you forgot your crutch." Mom said from the front seat. (1) I felt a drop of sweat roll down my cheek. I reluctantly grabbed my crutch from the boot and slung it under my armpit. I sighed and left the car with a dry tongue, not even saying goodbye to my mother.

~THIRD PERSON~ (here we go)

Students were chatting happily to each other, as if they had no idea of the incident that had occurred the previous day. A group of girls were huddled close to the lockers, their voices low and subtle, the atmosphere dark and dreary. Compared to everyone else, they were a storm cloud in a sunny day.

"Do you think she's coming?" the tallest one asked, raising her brow. Her acquaintances shrugged, fear displayed on their faces.

"I hope not. She practically did that on purpose. Poor Lou. She told me that jacket was the thing her mother gave her before she died." the medium height one said, depression hidden in her eyes and expressed in her voice. The shortest one bowed her head, her hair falling off her shoulders.

"It's a shame really... After... A-Alice ran away- Don't ask me how she can run- The school called her mother and gave her a crutch... or something." she said quietly.

"Oh, she got a crutch all right." the tallest one said, pointing her tan hand at the entrance of the school. A girl with short, blonde, wavy hair and with a crutch under her armpit was waddling down the steps.

"Jeez, why did she even come today?" the medium one scoffed, brushing her mousey hair out of her face. She glared horribly at Alice, who had a blank, heartless expression. It was like she was under some sort of mind control that removed her emotions.

"Come on, I don't want to be in Crashice's presence." hissed the tallest one. Her groupies gave a quick glare at the blonde girl, before following their ring leader with a clop of heels.

Alice slowly trotted down the steps, before everyone in the school glared at her, or looked away. As if they had rehearsed, they immediately turned their backs to her and started wildly whispering, which seemed more like loud hisses. Alice didn't even seem to notice them, as she took a step across the floor.

"What are you doing here, Crashice?" one of the boys spat at her. Everyone's eyes were on Alice's leg, as it banged against the crutch. "About time ya got some help for that excuse of a leg!" he called. The school hall was filled with wicked laughter as the expressionless girl walked over to her locker, not even looking up.

"Looks like Crashice broke her hearing and her leg!" There was laughter and loud snorts all over again. Alice just kept doing what she was doing, opening her locker like a tortoise. She pushed her bag in her locker, then grabbed her maths book.

"Ooh, is she going to cry?" somebody else jeered, with an evil grin. The horrid laughter continued, echoing through the halls and corridors. Then Alice stopped what she was doing. She put down everything she was holding and looked at the world around her. Her mind was deep in thought, as she closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"Whatcha ya gonna do now, Crashice?" somebody asked, staring at her with devious eyes. Everyone cooed, giving her harsh glares. Then something snapped behind the girl's eyes.

"It was an accident! The stupid mustard thing was an accident! MY LIFE IS AN ACCIDENT!" Alice screamed, her voice cracking. It was as if her voice hadn't been used for many years. Everyone stopped laughing and talking. There was nothing but bitter silence. Alice bit her lip and picked up her stuff, her footsteps sounding like air horns as she walked through the shocked crowd. Everyone's eyes stayed glued to the blonde girl with a crutch, who didn't even look back.

~ALICE~

The rest of the day was a blur. I'm honestly not sure if everyone was completely petrified or furious at me. I got a lot of glares and an occasional snarl, but everyone kept their distance from me and not one person (apart from the teachers) talked to me. I'm not sure if I hated it. It was too much for me to think. I guess I had enough anger to yell out the truth in the morning. It didn't even feel good.

Mom came to pick me up from school. She smiled warmly at me as I got in the car, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel. I think she was the only person who smiled at me that day, apart from my English teacher when I managed to finish my essay. I clicked in my seatbelt and gazed out the window, my chin cupped in my hand.

My thoughts traveled back to my experience with Poptropica the previous night. I was such a coward, staying in the shadows and letting everyone else do the work. Always had been. No wonder I don't have any friends. My soul bridge was weaker than ever. I could almost feel it cracking.

When we got back I stormed up to my room, not even caring about how much noise or mess I made.

"Stupid... Stupid… stupid..." I scolded myself, flopping onto my bed, face first into the pillow. I lazily reached out my arm and grabbed my laptop, which was on my bedside desk. It felt cold and smooth beneath my fingers. I sat up and crossed my legs, switched my laptop on, went onto the internet and booted up Poptropica.

"At least one person needs me..." I mumbled, signing into Fierce Fox. The screen showed Home Island, with Fierce Fox holding the medallion, completing Monkey Wrench Island. Amelia was clapping, with a big grin. It was just like yesterday...

Except I was missing... They didn't even notice. Who would?

"Where's Alice?" Amelia asked, after the confetti died down, contrary to my thoughts. She looked around, tapping her chin.

"Dunno." Fierce Fox said, captivated by how shiny her medallion was. She was looking at it with pride. I scowled and made her jump through the celebrations and onto her bright yellow blimp. It lifted off into the air, bringing up the good old map. I made her go to a faraway island... A special island: Early Poptropica. She landed on the island, making me feel nostalgia for the first time I played Poptropica… so many lost memories.

I sighed and closed the browser, my emotions taking charge of my actions. My head was hurting with horror and memories of school, and the years I had been bullied... All I wanted was a miracle. All I needed was a miracle. Is entering Poptropica a miracle?

I found my little badge on my bedside table. I clutched it tightly in my fingers, tapping its plastic exterior with my nail. It made a little dinging noise, which seemed to ring in my eardrums. I sighed and placed it back on the table. There was a knock on my door, which made the hairs on my air sit up.

"Alice?" my mother's kind voice said from outside my room. "Are you okay?"

"Just... leave me alone," I said, laying my head onto my pillow, which had a face print on it. "No one can help me now... I have no courage... No anything..." But my mother didn't move.

"Alice... You are so much braver than you think. Much braver than me. I never thought you would be able to go to school... But you did. Your courage is hidden away somewhere, and when the time is right, you'll know when to let it out." she said. I sighed loudly, rubbing my eyes.

"Go away." I snapped, a little too harshly. I heard Mom sob quietly and her steps vanish along with my confidence. I mentally slapped myself.

It was evening as I laid on my bed, my hair spread out on my pillow. My emotions were so dead that I couldn't cry. I couldn't smile. It was as if my brain was an inactive factory. I began to wonder if I would enter Poptropica again that night. Wait, what? No, that was a dream, I told myself. I never entered Poptropica… that's impossible. Like my chances of courage. Suddenly my vision was overcome with white.

All around me, I heard voices. I opened my eyes, and I was back in Poptropica. It was Home Island again, looking plain normal. Fierce Fox was gone, but Amelia was there. She was hanging out on the bridge, gazing out into the distance. I stared at myself. I was wearing the same clothes from yesterday... well… I looked exactly the same as I did yesterday. I wiggled my thumbless hand, trying not to gasp at my missing thumb. Then Amelia saw me.

"Greetings Alice!" she called, giving me a wave. She gestured me over to her. I slowly trotted towards her, taking deep breaths along the way. I stood still, facing her, feeling weird in my stomach. Amelia is such a bright light compared to me...

Amelia's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Where did you go?" It was full of concern and sympathy, which showed on her face, too. "You... just disappeared yesterday."

"Um... I can't explain," I answered quickly, trying to keep my blank face. "Where's Fierce Fox?"

"Wherever the voice said she is." Amelia answered, turning on my brain gears. Wherever the voice said she is… Of course! She's at Early Poptropica!

I pictured her on the island, not doing anything. She was standing there, with an anxious expression, just waiting for something to happen. Waiting for a miracle... Waiting for the voice... She needs a miracle...

"So... Do you know a way to get to Early Poptropica?" I asked nervously. Amelia raised an eyebrow.

A few minutes later, we were back in Amelia's plane, flying over the Poptropican ocean. It looks just like a cartoony ocean, with the occasional grass island. I gripped the sides of the whirring plane, as if it was going to toss me out. Amelia was in the front, clutching the steering wheel. Apparently Amelia had got her plane back from Monkey Wrench and got it fixed. Don't ask me how.

"Early Poptropica is just up ahead!" the pilot called, her hair blowing back in the wind. Her glasses were pulled over her face, making her look tough.

"Okay." I replied, as the wind blew on my face, making it icy. I glanced out the plane again, seeing if I could spot any familiar islands. All I saw was another one of those grass ones. Then, the plane started to descend, passing clouds and seagulls. Up ahead, I could see an island, that was definitely not one of the grass ones.

"LAND AHOY!" Amelia cried, as the plane neared the island.

"Isn't that saying associated with boats?" I asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh well... Here we are!" Amelia replied, as the plane made contact with the ground, right in the middle of the street (which is probably illegal in my world). Amelia jumped out, her feet landing on the ground. She removed her goggles and inhaled proudly through her nostrils. "Ah... Early Poptropica. First island ever. Did you know that?"

I tried not to groan. Yes was all I said, as I climbed out of the plane, my feet hitting the floor. I brushed out my arms and let the nostalgia fill my head. We were in the main part of Early Poptropica, with the arcade, The Soda Pop shop, The Pop Art museum... It almost made me smile, as the memories flowed back. Amelia put a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked kindly. It felt strange hearing that question from another person.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go back to Home Island. I can find Fierce Fox." I said, nodding at her. Amelia looked hesitant, but waddled back over to her plane anyway. She climbed in and turned on the engine, which made a loud noise, and forced air to pull my hair back.

"Want me to come and get you later?" she asked, gripping the steering wheel.

"Nope, I'll be fine. I've got my own way off this island." I said, mentally slapping myself for over-talking. Own way? Seriously, Alice? Amelia shrugged and brought her plane to life, maneuvering it to fly off into the distance. I watched its silhouette for a few brief moments, before I mentally harassed myself. How on Earth was I going to find Fierce Fox? My feet padded along the concrete path, as I stared at the brilliantly blue sky. It was really quite a shock compared to the grey sky I'd been seeing everyday.

"Fierce Fox!" I called, my voice straining, as I passed the common room. I ran along the cement road, my feet padding until I reached early Early Poptropica. I bumped into one of the Early Poptropicans- aka a Pilgrim- who's extremely pixelated and looks like he comes from the 80s. His expression was almost as bland as mine. I looked at him, taking a deep breath.

"Excuse me," I began. "Have you seen a red-haired Poptropican girl?" I asked. The pilgrim looked at me with pixelated eyes.

"Welcome to our town! We're Poptropica's first settlers." he replied, as an 'answer'.

"Great... Thanks..." I mumbled, storming past him. I walked by the pale plank wooden houses with straw roofs. The ground was dirty and grubby beneath my feet. Then I spotted Fierce Fox, gazing into the sky. She was in front of the largest cottage, which had two doors and a large straw roof.

My heart jumped with relief. "Fierce Fox!" I cried, my voice hitting her. She turned around and scowled.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her tone hitting me with shock. It felt like school all over again, as I tried to ignore the memories.

"I've come to help you." I answered, in my most shy and polite tone.

"I don't need help from you. The voice will tell me what to do." Fierce Fox scoffed, glaring at me. I felt my soul bridge shake. Then an idea made its way into my head.

"Well... My voice says that I have to help you," I retorted, mentally grinning. Fierce Fox kept glaring at me; a suspicion lurked deep in the back of her eyes. I did my best to ignore the harsh stare. "Come on, we have to talk to him." I said, pointing to a pilgrim in front of a pig pen. He blinked his pixelated eyes, staring at the ground. Fierce Fox stormed over to him.

"My precious pig! My prize winning porker! Snatched by that sneaky spider!" he cried dramatically, making me wonder if he was from a melodrama. I jogged over to the stone well nearby his pig pen and peeped down into the darkness; chills went up my spine.

"We need to go down t-there..." I shivered, my hand gripping the rope, which leads into the darkness. Fierce Fox jumped down the well flawlessly, which didn't make me look any better. My fingers began to sweat up, loosening my grip on the rope. There's no way I can go down there…

"Hey know-it-all! You coming?" Fierce Fox's harsh voice called. I bit my lip. Come on Alice... Stop being such a coward...

"Uh... Jump down all the platforms and use the sea-saws to help you jump up and around to get to a place where you will find a glow stick." I instructed, my voice a little shaky. I heard Fierce Fox snort.

"But why aren't you getting your lazy butt down here? Why don't you help me for once?" she hissed. I felt my soul drop all my confidence. The bridge began to crack.

"Just... I can't... It's not hard. You'll be able to do it," I said, trying to ignore the shame at myself in my voice. I heard her groan. "Besides... I'm not the hero..." I muttered, peeping down into the hole. Why can't I be so courageous? It's a few jumps!

I couldn't see anything in the pitch black, except for the outline of a crate. Then, Fierce Fox appeared before me.

"I got the glow stick. Where next, know it all?" she asked, glaring at me. I sighed.

"This way." I said, walking off to the main street. Fierce Fox immediately bolted, leaving me in the dust. My tortoise pace eventually caught up to her, which made her rather impatient as she tapped her foot. I cleared my throat and pointed at the manhole. "We need to go down there-"

"'We'? Sorry, let me rephrase that: I need to go down there while you stay up here." scowled Fierce Fox. I bowed my head, lacing my fingers. My heart stung and I felt my strength vanish like steam.

"I... don't know anymore..." I muttered, taking a step back. I racked my brain, searching for answers. Or at least courage. But those words I said were true: I just don't know anymore. Fierce Fox stared at me with aggravation. A voice appeared in my brain, like an echo. Your courage is hidden away somewhere, and when the time is right, you'll know when to let it out.

"So... are you coming or not? Or are you staying up here like always?" Fierce Fox asked, looking into my eyes. I walked to the edge of the manhole and peeped in. I kneeled down, putting my legs into the darkness, then slithered down, praying that I didn't die. My hands tightly clutched a rope, my feet mirroring at the bottom.

Very slowly, I slithered down the rope, landing on the dirty, wooden bridge. The whole room has a Halloween feel, with cobwebs in the corner, containments of slime, and spiders hanging from the platforms. The front of the bridge had been snapped in half; its rope trailing down to the bottom.

"You actually came down?" Fierce Fox gaped, appearing behind me. I squeaked and whipped around, the hairs on my arms standing up. She raised an eyebrow at my face. Then it hit me: I conquered my fear. I did the thing I thought I could never do. I was here.

I looked around, a smile almost creeping onto my face. My feet haltingly tip-toed across the weak wooden bridge, getting near the drop, which led to a platform with a goth girl. The fear started to seep back into me, and the negativity returned. I tried to remind myself that Poptropicans are very close to immortal, and I wasn't going to get hurt.

Fierce Fox jumped in front of me, landing on the wooden platform with a breeze. She faced the goth girl, who was murmuring about spiders. I stood on the edge of the drop, taking a deep breath, and shut my eyes. I pushed myself off.

I was in the air for a few milliseconds, before my feet made contact with the ground, as my knees bent. Oh... what am I doing in this tunnel? The fear in me was yelling at me to stop; to run away like I always did. My courage was trying to motivate me. It was like an argument between my emotions.

"Hey dreamy, what do we do next?" Fierce Fox asked, her voice piercing my thoughts.

"We- You go down there," I answered, pointing into the darkness, my head pounding. "The 'Prized Porker' is at the bottom. Oh, and watch out for spiders." Fierce Fox gave me a strange look, but starting descending regardless. I watched her hop down from platform to platform, neatly dodging the spiders. I gulped, eyeing all the spiders. My legs didn't move; they were frozen by fear. My courage was failing again.

Fierce Fox was at the bottom, standing on the moving platform. A scary, large, green spider was roaming around at the bottom. It has long, spindly legs that gave me the creeps. A pink, pixelated pig was in the corner, as still as a statue. I'm not sure if it was alive or not. Maybe it was petrified. Fierce Fox landed on the ground, and the spider sprinted towards her.

It hit Fierce Fox in the legs, pain expressing on her face. However, she immediately got back up and gracefully leaped over the spider, landing right next to the pig. She snatched it up, and somehow the living animal went into her inventory. If this was my world, the R.S.P.C.A would be extremely mad.

My Poptropican neatly jumped from platform to platform, nearing the top. I breathed out in relief, knowing everything was going to plan. She was on the moving platform beneath mine, with her legs bent. She jumped up, when suddenly a little purple spider struck her on the chest. Her face split with pain and she began to fall.

"FIERCE FOX!" I screamed, slumping down so I was on my stomach, and grabbing Fierce Fox's arm with my hand. I forced all my strength into my arm, sweat pouring onto my face. My eyes set on the goth girl. "Um... you do realize that you could be helping me?"

"I hope you're not afraid of spiders." she replied, as if there was nothing happening. I groaned and tried to pull Fierce Fox up, but it was more difficult done than said. Then, the platform began to tremble, making me clutch my stomach. The wood was splitting open, and the slime was drooling down. I gritted my teeth and tried to pull harder, but the wobbling was loosening my grip.

"There's no getting out if this platform collapses!" I cried, the wood shoving into my stomach.

"Oh dear. I'll be off then." the goth girl spoke. I muttered under my breath as she ran out, leaving us helpless. Then, the whole platform cracked and shook, snapping beneath my stomach. I screamed as Fierce Fox and I plummeted to the ground, feeling like we were going to die. I shut my eyes, muttering a wish to myself.

"I wish it could all get better," I mumbled, as the falling subsided. My knees trembled.

"Open your eyes, Alice." a grouchy voice said outside my vision. I was on the cold, hard floor, completely intact, standing on two legs. In fact, I didn't even feel one scratch, not one bruise, zilch. Then I remembered: I'm in Poptropica! It's a lot harder to die here than in my world.

Boy, was I happy. I took a huge breath of relief. Well, then again, Poptropica is a much more dangerous place than Earth. I mean, Mythology Island is seriously dangerous and far beyond human interaction. Virus Hunter and Astro Knights are pretty bad too.

"Great, we're screwed. Well done, Alice." hissed Fierce Fox, crossing her arms. I felt rage trying to nag back at her, but I chose to ignore it, even with the big green spider coming after us. Wait... What? I whipped around, facing the thing that came right out of my nightmares. Sweat poured down my cheeks. So I decided to use every human being's emergency resource.

"RUN!" I cried, pointing to a sign on my left. The sign is underneath a large, grey wall and leads to a cavern. We ran through the cave-like part, me trailing behind Fierce Fox. We re-entered a large, pitch black area, which sent fear through my body. However, a little green light popped up and showed me the brown, cracked, dirt wall. The glowstick was equipped in Fierce Fox's hand, as she gave me a nod. There are vines on the top platform, hanging down almost low enough for me to touch. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, we're in a maze. We need to run through it; both finding the golden egg and escaping. A tip: follow the writing. And when you see the words 'Getting warmer' jump left and grab the egg, then keep going until you find the exit." I instructed, mentally applauding my memory. Fierce Fox gave me another look.

"Seriously... How do you know all this?" she asked, with suspicion. "Do you work for somebody?"

"No... I... Don't work for anybody. Come on, we need to get out of this maze." I breathed quickly, setting my foot on the ground. But a hand on my shoulder pulled me back.

"We're not going anywhere until I get answers." Fierce Fox said sternly, staring me straight in the eye. I shivered from her stare.

"Look... now isn't the time... Come on, this way." I shivered, my voice panicky. I bolted off, my legs feeling strong and full of neverending energy. If I was human, I wouldn't be able to run 3 inches without feeling puffed out. I passed a creepy engraved sign in the wall saying 'Darkness awaits'. Great.

Fierce Fox's footsteps were behind me; I was relieved she had followed. We ran up to the first rope, then the relief I had vanished. My palms became sweaty and my head started pounding. Fierce Fox, like an athlete, jumped on the rope and slithered up like she did it everyday, carrying that glowstick at the same time. I heard her tapping her foot on the floor above, waiting for me.

"Are you coming, or staying down there?" she asked, with annoyance. My sweaty palms gripped the rope; the sweat went into it and made it slippery and ungraspable. "What the heck are you even doing?" I heard her grumble and slide down the rope again, upside down. She grabbed me with her hand and pulled me up the rope, letting my feet dangle down in the darkness.

I was placed onto the next platform with a grumpy Fierce Fox. An innocent look was displayed on my face, but major embarrassment showed in my eyes. I pointed to the right, where writing is printed on the wall.

"This way," I instructed, jogging ahead. Fierce Fox quickly overtook me, leaving me in the dark, while she had the glowstick. "RUN PAST THAT ROPE!" I called, my voice echoing through the maze. I eventually caught up to Fierce Fox. She was climbing up the rope at the dead end, like a stealthy spy. Then she saw me and groaned, slithering back down again.

Fierce Fox grabbed my arm without me being ready and pulled me up. We ran along the platform and came to yet another rope and dead end. Fierce Fox hastily grabbed my wrist and literally threw me to the left side, making me question her strength.

A glimmer of gold shimmered in the corner of my eye. I turned my head and saw the golden egg ahead, glowing in the darkness.

"There! The egg!" I cried, getting up. Fierce Fox was on the other side of the platform, wiping dust off her sleeve. She caught my eye and saw the egg, a grin appearing on her face. Holding out the glow stick, she leaped over me and snatched up the egg. Then her face turned confused.

"Why do we need this egg anyway?" she questioned me. A glint appeared in my eyes.

"You'll see. Come on, we better keep moving."

After more exploring the maze, and Fierce Fox reluctantly helping me up ropes, we made it out of the maze. We arrived in (practically) the modernist part of this island, known as Poptropica Towers. True to its name, there are large, colourful towers around us. The ground is dark concrete and if you look straight up, you would see rows of hanging washing. Jumping on them would be considered fun in Poptropica, while jumping on them in my world would be outright dangerous.

"That's the last time I'm helping you with anything," Fierce Fox hissed, before looking around. "What do we do now?" I took a deep breath.

"You need to jump on that building, then to the next one, then jump all the way to the top of the Rooftop Restaurant. You're a strong girl; I'm sure you'll be able to do it." I instructed, in my nicest tone. Fierce Fox snorted at me, but jumped up the brown building; the large, grey statue of a Poptropican, then, the large, red building. I ran along the bottom, eyeing her carefully. Fierce Fox finally jumped onto the purple building, with the Rooftop Restaurant at the top.

"CLIMB UP THE VINE!" I called, praying that Fierce Fox heard me. She looked around in confusion, as if she was lost. I groaned and sprinted to the front of the Rooftop Restaurant, jumping up and down like an excited child, waving my arms at the same time. "CLIMB. THE. VINE!" I squealed, hoping she would hear me. But she was too high up. "Great..." I mentally slapped myself again, earning another mental scar. I searched my head for ideas; maybe there was another way to get to the top.

I ran around the Rooftop Restaurant in a circle, my eyes scanning over a door on the back of the building. I trotted towards it and placed my hand on the doorknob, opening the door. Inside, there's a little reception with red and white checkered tables; a wooden roof and floor; clean white walls and waiters that look like they came from the 80s. One of them, who has a large, sticking-up bun and a white, frilly apron came towards me.

"Can I help ya?" she asked, in a sugary tone.

"Yes. Is there any way to get to the top?" I asked. "Apart from climbing up." The waitress looked thoughtful for a few moments, then her eyes flashed with an idea.

"Of course! This way, sugar plum." she said, her voice making me want to cringe. She led me through the reception, to the back of the cafe, where there was a silver lift. It looked dusty, as if it hadn't been used for years. The waitress seemed to read my mind. "This here elevator hasn't been used for yonks. I guess most people climb these days. Feel free to use it, sugar." she said, before leaving me alone.

I nervously reached my arm over and placed a finger on the 'down' button. I heard an engine whirring and coming to life, and things being pulled. The rusty doors opened up, revealing a dusty elevator interior. I stepped inside, my childhood fear of elevators coming back. I pressed the 'TOP' button; the doors, with a loud creak, shut tightly. The elevator, rather slowly, started moving up. Too slow for my preference. Suddenly, the elevator stopped moving.

My heart pumped furiously and I started sweating like crazy. The elevator was shivering slightly, but apart from that, it was dead still. I let out a quick scream, before running over to the electronic section with the buttons and pressing 'emergency', which was a bright red button. The whole elevator flashed red, reassuring that help was on its way. Then, I heard something snap. The elevator started plummeting down.

I screamed, as the world around me began to fade. It was over, I was gone. I fell to my knees, clutching my chest, as I plummeted. Then, the top of the elevator exploded open, making smoke seep into the room, blinding my vision. Arms wrapped around my body, as if they were from God, and I was pulled away.

"Jeez, wake up." a voice hissed. It was Fierce Fox, on top of the Rooftop Restaurant. I felt my heart pump and my forehead sweat.

"What..." I spluttered, getting to my feet. Fierce Fox glared at me.

"Alarm went off. Voice told me to rescue you, end of story. You're lucky I actually bothered to save you." she hissed, eyeing our surroundings. There are two tables that looked like they came from Lady and the Tramp, and a not-at-all mysterious vine, hanging from the clouds.

"I'm very grateful you did," I puffed, massaging my hands. I shook a lock of hair out of my face and stared at the vine. "Now we need to... Climb up that..."

"Speaking of climbing, why didn't you climb up the buildings like I did? It could've saved you from all that elevator drama." Fierce Fox pointed out, crossing her skinny, Poptropican arms. I took a deep breath.

"Now is not the time for that. Up the vine." I instructed sternly, although I was quite the opposite inside. I was mentally harassing myself, giving myself the hardest talk I could think of. What did my soul bridge have against this blasphemy?

I split my face into a sweet beam. "I'll try climbing it myself this time." I said, gripping the vine, then groaning and as I tried to haul myself up. Fierce Fox groaned.

After extremely slowly (and quite embarrassingly) hauling myself up the vine, I eventually made it to the cloud land. The land itself is like something from my imagination. The floor is cloud; there's a fantasy castle in the background and the clouds were soft like pillows. Also, there is a large purple giant. I noticed the vine hangs from mid-air, which would make scientists spit out their breakfast.

"Physics much, Poptropica?" I muttered, getting to my feet. Fierce Fox was already storming across the cloud ground, like she was a storm cloud herself. She stood right next to the giant's disgusting toes and stared up at him. He (I think) has patchy, green pants which reached his ankles; dotty, purple skin and a large, wooden, spiky club, which blocked our entrance. I walked right up to Fierce Fox.

"Give him the egg." I said, eye gesturing at the giant. Fierce Fox scowled and brought out the egg, giving it to the giant. He said a rhyme, then his club lifted, giving us our pathway.

"Let's go," I spoke to Fierce Fox, as we proceeded right. We entered the Giant's Garden, which consists of a large shovel; bucket, and lots of veggies, which are covered with curly green vines. "Jump over all that until you get to the end. Oh, and pick up the bucket," I instructed clearly. Fierce Fox practically glided over the large shovel and vine bridge. She slid down the giant watermelon and picked up the bucket.

I apprehensively climbed onto the metal part of the shovel, then up the wooden handle. I scooted across the long, green vine, which felt smooth beneath my feet. I jumped off at the end with a piercing scream, landing in the clouds, which felt like a trampoline. Like a tortoise, I climbed up the slippery pumpkin and tomato, grabbing on the nub of the orange fruit. I slid down all the other fruits, bumping my butt, and finally ending up on the other side. Fierce Fox groaned, and I blushed as we ascended to the Airplane Graveyard. Great name.

We ended up in a land full of whirring aircraft stuck in clouds, their engines blowing hot air everywhere. There weren't just planes; there were spaceships, a rocket ship, a drone, and even a UFO. I cleared my throat.

"There's a jetpack just over these planes. Go and get it, then you'll be able to fly." I instructed with a glint in my eye, pointing over the rocket ship. Fierce Fox grumbled and used the whirring breeze from an upside-down plane to get to the jetpack. Then I felt my heart snap.

I had never felt so worthless… All I was doing was letting myself be saved, because I couldn't do anything myself... I was getting myself in trouble for doing what I thought was brave. My mother was wrong. I didn't have any courage. I only went to school because I didn't want to stay home in the awkwardness with my family. Not because I was brave.

I heard an engine turn on, and Fierce Fox, with a jetpack on her back, flew over to me. The jetpack puffed out hot smoke as she descended and landed in front of me. I took a deep breath and slumped on the floor.

"I got it. Where next?" she asked, tapping the jetpack.

"Go back over the plant produce and under that vine, over the shovel handle. You'll find a hole. Go through it and you'll land on the roof of the water tower. There will be a flag on it. Pick up that flag, then return to Early Poptropica. Give the guys their stuff back, then collect your prize from the boat." I instructed, grabbing my knees. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow.

"What about you?" she asked, staring down at me.

"I'll be fine. Go without me. You've helped me more than enough today," I mumbled, my eyes holding back tears. "I don't deserve a medallion anyway."

"Um... I hate to break it to both of us, but my voice says that you have to come with me." Fierce Fox inquired, her face stern.

"But... your voice... No... It... I can't," I huffed, "Okay... I'll go then." My physical voice was strained and pulled back by my thoughts. I'm her voice... I'm here... There's no way... I was conscious of what I was thinking. Maybe it was something else.

Fierce Fox scoffed and stormed off, flying into the sky like a bullet, smoke trailing behind her. I ran along the bouncy cloud, my feet getting stuck in the puff. Arms grabbed onto my shoulders, pulling me up into the air. My feet dangled down, as I saw the world from above, getting a stab of nostalgia. Hot steam made my legs sweat and my lungs pant for something other than the smoke.

"Where do we go again?" Fierce Fox asked, with a stern expression. I think she only smiled when things were working for her, making me regret making her 'Fierce'. Why didn't I make her a sweetheart?

We flew over the vine and to the said hole, landing on top of the water tower, where I picked up a little, pixelated flag. It vanished from my hands and into my inventory with a little click.

"Now to Early Poptropica!" I cried, pointing to the distance like I was on the Titanic. Fierce Fox reluctantly grabbed my arms, letting me soar in the sky like a bird. We flew over Early Poptropica with a bird's eye view, before the red haired girl dropped me from about 30 feet above the ground. I squealed and landed on the hard floor with a crack, right in front of the pig pen. Boy, I was happy I was not in my world or I would be very dead, but I still felt a shocking sensation in my stomach that told me I had just fallen.

Fierce Fox landed in front of me, like an ace. She brushed off her jetpack and eyed the area.

"Thanks for dropping me," I started sarcastically. "You're lucky I'm not on Ea- Uh... I mean, look, there's the pig guy!" I squeaked, mentally slapping myself again. Fierce Fox snorted at me, then turned to the Early Poptropican, who was guarding his pig pen.

I breathed in. "Okay, Fierce Fox, give him the pig." Somehow, she reached into her inventory and grabbed the pig. It flew up from her hands and landed gracefully in the pig pen, where the little porker started jumping around. The Early Poptropican gasped in delight.

"Thank you for returning my pig! I'll never let it out of my sight again! Finally, bacon for all!" he cried, in a dramatic tone. I rolled my eyes and passed the excited pig. We came over to the man in front of the well. I gestured Fierce Fox over to the man with a wink. She got the bucket out of her inventory and handed it to the man. He placed it on the ground, where it stood next to the well.

"Thank you for returning our bucket! We raise our water glasses to you!" he said, with a grin. I reached into my own inventory and pulled out the flag, glancing at it in my hand. I waved a little bit, letting the pixelated material flow in the breeze. It almost gave me memories of the time we were learning about the American Revolution. It was probably one of the only lessons I enjoyed...

"So, are you going to give it to them?" Fierce Fox asked, making me take a big breath. I handed her the flag.

"You're the hero, princess." I said, taking a step back. Fierce Fox glanced at me for a second, then at the flag with a shrug. Using her jetpack, she flew up to the top of the grey-planked tower, where a guy was overlooking the sea. She handed him the flag, which he hung on top of a flag pole. A large ship docked, with a design of a pirate ship.

Fierce Fox gracefully flew onto the wooden deck, where yet another pilgrim was waiting. He gave her the medallion; she jumped into the air with joy. Then, I blinked, and the world was gone in a flash of white.

"Alice!" a voice called, far away. "Alice!" My eyes shot open, and I blinked about 30 times to adjust to the light. I was back in my bedroom. Early Poptropica... What happened? "Alice! It's time to get up!"

My mother opened my bedroom door, with a flustered look. She stared into my eyes, with a shy smile. "Good morning! How did you sleep?"

I patted down my hair and a twinkle was in my eye. "I slept perfectly..."


	5. Shark Tooth

~ALICE~

School was bland and lifeless once again. People were still whispering about me behind their backs and giving me hot, furious stares. I couldn't tell if they were angry or scared, whenever they eyed me. I was just thankful I hadn't ran into Louisa or Chrissi. Or both. Or their entire gang. At least that's what I thought.

It was the end of the day again. I swung open my locker, smelling and seeing the familiar essence of what I had known for years. I put my History folder away and grabbed my heavy bag, feeling the usual tight grip on my shoulders. I still had my crutch; it was sharply pushed under my armpit. I gritted my teeth and limped, my leg swinging up and down, to the exit. I felt the familiar, nostalgic fear of Chrissi coming to get me. Chrissi and Louisa had both been avoiding me through my time at school, which I was rather thankful for. It was rather unusual knowing that they weren't coming for once. Perhaps there was new hope…

I was wrong.

I left the school, trying not to let the irritation of the crutch get to my head. My leg rubbed against the other one, and my sweat got caught in my hair, making it sticky. I wanted to wipe it off, but both my hands were occupied with supporting myself. I scowled. Then, I saw Louisa standing in front of me, wearing completely black clothing. Mad is an understatement of her expression. She was OUTRAGED. I felt my skin prickle and my sweat became sticker.

"Crashice." she growled, her tone of voice making my crutch shiver. I grabbed it more fiercely with my arm, trying not to look afraid in front of Louisa. But she called me Crashice. She never called me Crashice. Never.

The sun beated down on us, as we stood face to face on the concrete path, similar to cowboys in those Wild West movies. Louisa's eyes flicked with aggression.

"I know what you're planning, Crashice. Don't you think you can get away with it." Her glare became harder and she took a step towards me. A nervous look couldn't help but spread on my face.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about. That... mustard thing... That was an accident." I spluttered, my curls shaking. Louisa clenched her fists. It was beyond a shock to see her angry. I had seen many people angry before (who hasn't?). But not Louisa. She was the one person I never thought would get angry. I was wrong again.

"Don't lie. I know what you're planning." Louisa spat, her voice now soft and dangerous. I shook my head in despair.

"If... Chrissi is telling you something, don't listen... It was an accident!" I cried, suddenly feeling like my school bag was my only support in the world. Louisa took one step closer, almost blocking out the sun.

"Whatever you say, Crashice, I'm not listening." Louisa hissed, until we were practically nose to nose. She glared at me for a few moments, before she stormed past me.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!" I called out to her, my voice croaking, as she disappeared. A tear rolled down my cheek. "I'm really sorry..." I said it like I meant it. I felt like I meant it. I thought I saw Louisa look back for a moment. Maybe, maybe not. Whatever she did, I was more fussed with getting home. I clutched my bag and crutch tighter, then limped off home, my legs following the same walking pattern.

That night, I booted up Poptropica again, the familiar blue screen greeting me. My lip curved upwards as I signed into Fierce Fox. I took her off Early Poptropica and flew her around on the old, paper map. I hovered over Shark Tooth Island for a few moments, wondering if Amelia would let me fly in her plane again. If I kept entering Poptropica, then I would have to use her plane over 40 times. Amelia was nice, but I doubt she'd let me fly over the land 50 times.

I didn't think Fierce Fox would let me come in her blimp. There's no way. She already had to save me a billion times. I don't think she would be quite willing to help me with anything else. There has to be another way. I dropped Fierce Fox onto Shark Tooth, when I suddenly got an idea. I made Fierce Fox leave the island, and fly back to Home island. There is, after all, more than one way to skin a cat…

I entered Poptropica again that night, wearing my regular clothes. Home Island looked exactly the same; the barber; Amelia and her plane; the endless pool of blue beneath me. Near Amelia was Fierce Fox's mighty blimp, which has a large, pale yellow, striped balloon carrying a wooden basket. A rope hangs down from the basket. Perfect.

Like a spy, I crept along the island, nearing the bridge. Once I was right behind it, facing Fierce Fox and Amelia, I ducked into the nearest bush. I tried to ignore the pointy branches and the itchy green leaves. Some of them scratched my cheeks, but I ignored them and watched Fierce Fox. She wasn't too far away, so I knew I could be both loud and quiet enough to be her voice.

"Gooo too Shark Tooth Islannnd…" I hissed, my voice like an echo. I felt like some kind of Fairy Godmother. Fierce Fox looked around in confusion, as if there were enemies nearby. Then she accepted her voice. Success made me smile. Success is one of those things I so strongly strive for. Though most of the time I never get it.

"Shark Tooth... Okay..." Fierce Fox said, acknowledging the voice. I watched her, like an athlete, slither up the rope and neatly climb into her basket. I saw her grip the sides of the basket, which was my cue. I snuck out of the bush, trying not to cough any leaves out, and grabbed onto the knot at the bottom of the rope.

I grabbed on with all my strength and wrapped my legs around it, until I was completely secure. My foot was just brushing along the ground, as I felt fear trying to make me jump off. I ignored my sweating palms and clutched tighter, as I suddenly felt the world being lifted up. Up and away. My feet dangled down and I tried not to scream as we flew over Poptropica, the beautiful blue sea beneath me. If I wasn't so worried about falling off, I probably would've taken the chance to stare at the world around me. I mean, this was dream material.

We started getting closer to Shark Tooth island. I could already see the tropical palm trees, and the soft, sandy beaches. The great blimp began descending, and I clutched on for dear life. I was still getting over the fact that I was crazy enough to get onto that knot. If I wasn't in Poptropica, I wouldn't even think about it.

As soon as the blimp was only about a few feet above the ground, I knew it was time to jump off. My hands were shaking and my forehead was sweating.

"Come on Alice," I told myself sternly, "You can do this." It wasn't Earth. I'd be fine. But after years of living on a planet where even a jump half a foot above the ground can harm you, I wasn't expecting to be safe. Instead, I closed my eyes, and told myself it was a dream. In dreams you can have anything you want... I need courage... I need courage…

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the sandy beach, the sand grains getting in my nails. I sat up and stared at the tropical island. Shark Tooth island. I shivered. Even on Poptropica, sharks are considered outright dangerous. I mean, the sharks could barely hurt you (compared to Earth), but they were still dangerous. However, the surroundings don't look quite so deadly.

There's a bamboo bridge at the start of the island, which the blimp was hovering above. I had somehow landed directly in front of it. Don't ask how. There are lush palm trees and the Coconut Cafe, which is practically a giant cup of coconut milk, with a straw poking through one of the trio of holes.

A beach towel entry mat is in front, and the windows are decorated with the same orange and white striped pattern. Next to it is a dark-skinned, shirtless man selling coconut milk. Basically the rest of the island followed this similar beach, coconut and sand design, with buildings made out of bamboo or light wood. I admired it for a few moments.

"Alice?" a voice asked behind me. A little rough, suspicious and kind of scared all at once. I turned around and saw Fierce Fox right behind me, her brow raised. I gave her a nervous wave.

"Hey... How it's going?" I asked shyly, feeling my nervous energy spread to my entire body. Fierce Fox's expression became more aggressive.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. I bit my lip. "How did you even get here?"

"Um... Well, firstly... Um..." Most of the time, I have a smart mouth (which can be annoying), but even I have my stuff-up moments. Finally, my eyes flashed with an idea. "To get coconut milk!" I bolted over to the shirtless man selling coconut milk. Clutched under one of his arms is a little wooden ukulele. I stood next to his grass-roofed stand.

"Try my carbonated coconut milk! It's on the house!" the man cried, giving me a free glass bottle of the carbonated coconut milk, which mysteriously disappeared into my inventory. I gave my bag a quick poke before it disappeared, feeling the fabric. I had never heard of carbonated coconut milk, let alone coconut milk, but as much as I would've like to discuss that, I had better things to do.

"Here," I said, touching my back, feeling the bag appear again. I reached inside the dark unknown of the fabric and pulled out the glass bottle. The white liquid bubbled around inside, sending off a strong scent of coconuts.

I eyed Fierce Fox. "You can have it. You'll need it anyway." I handed her the bottle, and she glanced over it for a second, as if checking it for poison.

"Um... Thanks..." she answered, as the bottle disappeared into her inventory.

"But there's more than that you'll need," I spoke, my voice instructive. "We need to go to the Ancient Ruins-"

"Just stop for a moment. Stop." Fierce Fox suddenly growled, my throat going dry. It felt like Louisa threatening me all over again. It almost made me sick. The Poptropican took a step towards me. "Firstly, you show up out of nowhere, and tag along to whatever we do-"

"Look, can we discuss this later? The Ancient Ruins is this way!" I huffed out, trying to ignore the beads of sweat on my forehead. Fierce Fox looked beyond outraged to be interrupted, but stormed after me nonetheless.

We passed the many other buildings: the Tourist Center, the Shark Museum, palm trees, then eventually we got off the sand, and arrived at the Ancient Ruins. The ground there is dirt and grass, and large, shark-inspired statues burst randomly from the ground. In the background is an old, ruined temple, the old stone walls collapsed all over the place. Ahead of Fierce Fox and I is probably the only standing temple; it has straight, stone walls and sharp, stone teeth hanging over a tunnel of darkness. It made my skin prickle.

"What next, know-it-all?" spat Fierce Fox. I had a feeling she was getting madder and madder by the second, especially since everything I said was going to happen happened.

"Push that rock," I gestured to a cube-shaped stone rock. "Right up to the tree trunk." I pointed at a large, thick tree trunk, which has the occasional over-sized coconut fall from it. This was another moment I was glad I was in Poptropica.

Fierce Fox stormed ahead of me and laid her fists on the square rock, and started shoving it forward. The rock either was as light as a feather or Poptropicans had super strength. Either way, Fierce Fox shoved the rock up to the trunk. Suddenly, a large, basketball-sized coconut flew down from the trees and bounced down on the ground, towards Fierce Fox.

"WATCH OUT!" I cried. Luckily the coconut hopped right over her. When it came for me, I leaped out of the way so fiercely I tripped over. Fierce Fox was standing near the tree trunk, wary for anymore coconuts. After climbing up, I was right behind her.

"What next?" Fierce Fox asked, politer than before, though this was due to the fact that a coconut was falling down. She leaped out of the way of the coconut, though unfortunately it hit me. Again, I was surprised as it didn't hurt me. It only knocked me back and made me cringe. I was back on my feet before you could say 'carbonated coconut milk'.

"Climb up to the tree's top platform, but don't go past the arrow. Leap over to your left and you'll land on the temple roof. Pick up the piece of paper, then jump back down." I instructed as clearly as possible. Only then did I realize I was going to be letting her do all the work again. I gave myself a mental slap as Fierce Fox jumped onto the temple roof. This isn't Earth! Your leg isn't crap. You should be able to do these things, Alice! But no, Crashice has to stay behind again... Just like always…

"I got the paper thingy." Fierce Fox said, jumping down next to me, and we both stood in front of the spooky temple. I tried not to look into the utter darkness, although I knew we had to go in there. My brain flooded with thoughts of all the dangerous things inside; daunting images that made my teeth chatter. When I had originally played with Fierce Fox, I found the island fun, not dangerous. Seeing it for myself changed everything.

"We need to go in there..." I gulped, the hairs on my arms standing up as I pointed to the temple. Fierce Fox snorted, but entered the temple like it was the supermarket. I- rather slowly and stupidly- entered the temple like it was Hell. I mean, there were spider webs and glowing purple eyes in the corner as I walked past! It made me wonder how brave Poptropicans actually are, compared to us cowardly humans. I mean, they practically treated dangerous things like volcanoes and super villains as a walk in the park.

Inside the temple are thick, grey, stone brick walls. Everywhere I looked I saw swinging stone platforms with art imprints all over them; spider webs; dirty, slimy, green water with floating, molding pieces of wood at the bottom and dangerous, fanged, purple vampire bats waiting under platforms and walls, ready to strike. This was much much worse than Monkey Wrench Island. And Early Poptropica. COMBINED. And Shark Tooth Island is considered EASY. I didn't even want to imagine the other islands.

"What now?" Fierce Fox questioned, as if I was the admin. I laced my fingers together.

"Y-You.. N-n-n-need to go to t-t-t-the other s-s-side," I blubbered. "W-watch out for b-b-bats, and y-y-you will need to do l-l-lots of j-j-jumping from platform to p-p-platform." My smart mouth abandoned me that day.

"Thanks for that totally clear answer." Fierce Fox replied sarcastically, as I gave her an apprehensive grin. She didn't return it. "Let me guess, you're gonna wait here for me, aren't you?"

Then it clicked in my mind.

"Well, t-there's actually more than t-t-t-this.." I answered shakily, half-panting. "So… So..."

"You have to come? Oh, great," growled Fierce Fox, clenching her fists. "More dragging you around."

"Yeah..." I chuckled frightfully. I gulped at the long long long drop. There was no way I could go down there… No way... Come on Alice... I felt sweat trickle down my forehead.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Fierce Fox scowled, grabbing my arm with her harsh fingers. Before I knew it, we were leaping through the air like falcons, then dropping like bullets. I screamed as my hair flew upwards, the whole world blurred, like an old-picture film. Then, cold splashed all over my body, covering my body in little sparkly pearls called bubbles. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like I was sinking. In fact, I wasn't even hurt.

"Poptropica, Alice. You're in Poptropica." I grumbled to myself, as I tread the water, which I was surprisingly good at. I'm not really a swimmer. Even though I can swim (Hydrotherapy helps my leg) I don't really want to do it as a sport. However, it does give me the feeling of being free from my leg pain. I wish that same freedom would be there when I'm on land..

"Uh, daydreamer?" Fierce Fox asked. She was as dry as the sun, and standing on a stone platform that was nearby me. I blushed awkwardly and swam up to it. My legs slipped and my arms wobbled as I climbed up it like an idiot. I seemed to dry instantly as I touched land. Another great thing about being in Poptropica. There were too many of those to count.

I looked upwards at the other half of the room. There are endless platforms, some holding dark purple bats underneath. Speaking of bats, a bat above us, hanging on the wall, spread out its wings and flapped; it circled Fierce Fox and I.

"Don't touch the bats." I warned, eyeing the bat, as it narrowly missed my head. Fierce Fox glared at the bat, then waited for it to complete another rotation.

"We're going to need to do a lot of jumping." she scowled, eyeing the rest of the room. There are platforms; another layer of mucky water; webs in the dark corners. It made me shiver. And sort of disgusted. Fierce Fox's hand grasped onto my arm, and she bent her legs. She jumped off the platform, zooming through the air with me trailing behind, like a piece of hair. We landed on a rotting, wooden platform, floating on the water. I tried not to start panting. Fierce Fox, her hand still fiercely holding onto my arm, leaped into the air.

We jumped to a lower ledge on the wall, then up to a moving platform, which was just above us. The platform moved from side to side; I peered down, seeing the whole world swerve. A whirling pain occurred in my stomach. We prepared to jump again, when the bat from the platform above hit us.

The purple beast gave me a sharp knock on the forehead, almost making me fall off the edge of the platform. Fierce Fox, luckily, grasped me before such thing could happen, then lifted us off our feet and to the still platform above. The bat stopped flying around and hid under the platform. A shadow waved over my head, which was none other than the swinging platform above.

Fierce Fox and I leaped onto the moving platform, me trembling, still hearing the whoosh from the jump. Then I realized we were on the swinging platform. It was like we were on a swing at a playground. A dangerous, bat-filled swing. I tried not to look down at the rather daunting world beneath me, as it swung by in large whooshes. My legs shivered and my muscles tensed. Fierce Fox's eye was on the large block of wall on our left, with a keypad and password-face.

It was another large jump. Fierce Fox snatched my arm again, and we lifted into the sky. I closed my eyes as we soared through the air, as time seemed to slow down. I felt so free I could just let go…

"ALICE!" Fierce Fox snapped, grabbing onto me tightly, as time resumed. I realized I was no longer gripped, about to drop to ground like a bullet; my hands waved everywhere as I panicked. The Poptropican heaved me up, dropping me on my side as we arrived on the platform. Again, I didn't feel any pain, but I was still bothered by the sensation. And my stupidity.

"Use that piece of paper you found on the roof. The password is 'Open'. The triangles are the 'teeth' and the 'nose' is the open button." I groaned, pulling myself to my feet. Fierce Fox gave me a short glare, before she got out the piece of paper. She turned to face the keypad. It's shaped like a face; large circular eyes; marble button pupils; sharp, triangular teeth as keys; dark green lips.

Referring to the piece of paper, Fierce Fox typed in the code by pressing the 'teeth'. She then reached over and pressed the 'nose', which flashed bright green. The cream gate near us pulled open, revealing the next room.

Fierce Fox and I paced through the short passageway, until we reached the next room. There are thick, green vines sprouting from the walls; a huge, golden shark statue with a creepy green and orange spotted caterpillar crawling around it; webs in the corners; bats hanging from the ceilings and murky water, with floating, rotten wooden platforms. Fierce Fox was scowling at the shark statue. I was trying not to sweat at how far we had to jump. Straight beneath us is a collection of pointing, golden platforms; a long, swinging vine and the murky water.

"Come on." huffed Fierce Fox. She grasped my arm again and bent her legs. Her eyes were set on the vine. She bounded off, like an Olympian athlete, grabbing the vine with one hand. Her legs wrapped around the bottom, me dangling on the other side, my fingers grabbing on hers. My fingers were stinging with furious pain and were starting to go red. It was actual torture how hard I was grabbing on; it felt like they were being stabbed. I couldn't take it anymore. Just like with school.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, letting go, my fingers feeling fine again and the colour flushing back. I fell downwards; right into one of the golden swirled platforms, my eyelids fluttering. A bat saw me coming and started circling the platform. Like a baseball, I zoomed right into the bat. It hit me- rather strongly for such a small creature- sending me flying across the room; I landed smack-bang against the statue, my head hitting the gold.

I rubbed it, expecting to feel aching pain, which of course I didn't. I hesitantly climbed to my feet, feeling totally fine. The shark statue seemed to be on a little island, the fin of the statue right above my head. Suddenly, I heard the patters of the large caterpillar approaching me. I gulped, and felt the hairs on my arms stand straight up.

"You're lucky I have something called tolerance," hissed Fierce Fox, as she leaped off her vine. She landed in the water, and paddled through it. Then she climbed onto one of the wooden platforms, bending her knees. She bounced up and joined me on the tiny rim of the statue. With a gentle push you could easily land in the mucky water; that's how thin it was.

Ready to rescue me, Fierce Fox put her arm around my waist. However, the caterpillar, with its beady eyes and many legs pushed us off as it crawled upwards; we both crash-landed head-first into the water.

Fierce Fox scowled. "Though I don't think I have much left."

After getting past the shark statue, we headed to this cube-shaped area. Two large, stone walls burst from the ground, covering up the spiky and treasure-filled room inside. The only way in is through the top. Fierce Fox and I stood on one of the narrow walls. Directly beneath us is sharp, silver, poking spikes. A floating platform moves back and forth across the space between the walls.

"Down there, with all these dinosaur bones, is a large bone, right in a dino skull. When you get it, you need to go right and jump up all the platforms again." I instructed, pointing down past all the spikes, to a faint outline of a hole at the bottom. Fierce Fox almost looked kind of happy. I'd be happy too if I didn't have to drag a clumsy idiot around.

The Poptropican leaped down, narrowly avoiding the spikes, then down into the darkness where I couldn't see her anymore. She came up a few moments later, went past all the platforms, then rejoined my side. Quick.

"Right, got it. Where next?" Fierce Fox asked, a little brighter this time. I pointed to the moving platform, as it floated to us. She muttered something under her breath and grabbed my arm, like I was having a blood pressure test. We leaped above the ground, flying again, then suddenly falling and our feet gripping onto the platform.

Fierce Fox and I floated across; I tried not to look down. When the platform arrived at the other side, we- well, Fierce Fox- gracefully leaped over to the other wall. We headed on through the little passageway before we came to third room.

Luckily, this room isn't as bad as the others. We were on a little, wide stone pillar and there's a drop just beneath it. The thick, stone walls are carved with drawings of Poptropicans, coconuts and sharks, plus another stone pillar with a golden jug full of green powder at the other end. A little opening is at the end of the room, letting in a pool of sunlight and dust particles; it shows the lack of visitors in the temple.

"Just grab that jug," I instructed, pointing to the jug. "Then hop through the roof. Simple."

"Could be simpler." Fierce Fox said through gritted teeth, glaring at me. I shrugged. She sighed and grabbed my arm, as we leaped down. A little bit of shock from the drop made my heart pound, but I was fine apart from that. We bolted past the carved walls; I subtly glanced at an image of someone feeding a shark a coconut.

Fierce Fox and I arrived at the foot of the pillar. Fierce Fox leaped up, me dragging behind her, picking up the jug on the pillar. Then, above her, was another vine. Strongly gripping it with one arm and her legs, Fierce Fox hauled herself onto the vine. Her other arm was wrapped around my waist, similar to a snake strangling its prey. She crawled up the vine, my arms and legs splaying, and my waist rather uncomfortable.

We arrived under a passageway, leading directly into the town. We popped through a sinkhole of sand, straight bang in front of the trash barrel, which is full of coconuts. I took a few moments to process the new environment; the palm trees and the soft, yellow sand. Mainland... Mainland...

"Right," I said, adjusting to the sunlight, "Come on, this way." This time I was the one to drag Fierce Fox. Well, she sort of followed me, rather than being dragged behind. We bolted past the buildings and the Ancient Ruins again (I got a few chills up my spine) and arrived at Booga Bay. We bumped into a tourist, who has a brown Afro, and stands next to a little, wooden stall.

"Take a spiffy grass skirt. You'll look like a Native Islander!" The man rambunctiously cried. A grass skirt appeared in my hand; the grass rubbed against my fingers. I handed it to Fierce Fox, who accepted it with surprise.

"Now this way. Oh, and you might wanna put that on." I instructed, with a small grin, pointing to the left. Fierce Fox eyed me cautiously, but slipped the skirt on anyway. It looked rather ridiculous, contrasting against her bold, red hair. I tried not to laugh. Or maybe I should've laughed. I hadn't laughed for ages.

Anyway, she followed me back to the Ancient Ruins, where we stood behind the yellow, thick tree trunk. A coconut fell on top of us, sending us flying in different directions; my face landed in the dirt. I got to my feet, feeling perfectly fine again. I still need to get used to that... Fierce Fox stormed over, and we both stood in front of the tree, looking up at the many platforms. I took a deep breath.

"Okay, you'll meet a guy with a blue mask up there. Give him the bone, green powder stuff and the coconut milk. He'll mix it in a potion and give it all to you in a coconut. Then, I want you to meet me by the wooden cannon in Booga Bay. You'll have to swim past some crates to get there." I instructed, eyeing Fierce Fox. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Cool," she answered, relieving me. "But seriously... How do you know all this?"

"Um... I just do. Now go." I answered speedily, hurrying off in a puff of dust before she could ask anymore questions. I arrived back in Booga Bay, which has the soft, yellow sand, and creepy shark statues in the background. I passed the man selling grass skirts and approached a crying, dark-skinned woman, her tears practically forming a waterfall. In front of me is a pool of water, containing bobbing crates, then a little island with a cannon. Okay... I passed the sobbing woman and dipped my foot in the water. It didn't feel cold…

I apprehensively climbed in, every bone in my body shivering. Soon, my waist was in, and I was bobbing like the crates. My arms seemed to automatically paddle the water, so there was no way I could drown. Few. I swam past the floating crates, trying not to smash into them. My legs floated around in the water, as it splashed against my clothes, surprisingly not making them wet. I felt excitement enter my body as I slowly paddled. Was I really doing something on my own?

I gently paddled to the shore, flopping stomach-first onto the sand. I easily got to my feet, then walked straight up to the cannon, and laid a hand on it, causing the wheel to spin. It's made out of dark wood, with a long tube at the front, and a wheel from a pirate ship at the back. A coconut flew out the tube, flying about 10 feet in the air, then landing in the water. A huge, beady-eyed shark came out, and snapped up the coconut. I felt shivers down my spine all over again.

"Gosh..." I muttered, eyeing the island on the other side. I felt a tap on my shoulder; I whipped around, facing Fierce Fox, who was still wearing the skirt.

"Hello. What next?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I patted the cannon, as if it was mine.

"Fire that coconut," I answered, my elbow digging into the wood. Fierce Fox's lips shrunk, but she plopped the coconut in the cannon anyway. She pulled the wheel, which sent the coconut zooming through the sky, like an asteroid. It landed in the water with a splash, and the great shark popped up and snatched up the coconut. The shark turned green and its eyes widened, as if it was disgusted, then it passed out in the water and disappeared.

I grinned, putting my hands on my hips. "Good job! Now, you need to swim across and rescue those guys on the other side. They'll follow you when they see you. Lead them back to that island," I gestured to the island behind us, where I heard the mother wailing. "Then victory is yours."

"Right." scoffed Fierce Fox, doing a somersault in the air, then landing in the water. She speed across like a fish, to the island with the trapped guys. While she did so, I eyed the bitten and crashed ships in the background. It sort of felt like I was practically in Jaws. I bit my lip, shaking my head.

Then I remembered that the island was nearly finished. Great... back to totally-dangerous Earth again. I bowed my head, thinking of Louisa. Will she be there again tomorrow, bullying me like everyone else? The corner of my lip twitched, and most certainly not in a good way. I was more afraid than ever.

Fierce Fox suddenly came back; an old man with a long beard and a young, dark-skinned boy were following her. I waved at her, then all four of us swam across the pool between the middle island and the Mainland. The other two turned out being not much better swimmers than me. At least I'm not alone, I thought.

We docked the Mainland, where the dark-skinned woman threw up her arms and cried tears of joy instead. She congratulated Fierce Fox constantly; the girl grinned proudly.

"Well done, my friend! Take this gold medallion!" The guy with the long beard, Professor Hammerhead, cried, handing Fierce Fox a shiny, gold medallion. I suddenly felt my skin become translucent, and my vision overcome with white.

~THIRD PERSON~

Fierce Fox clutched her medallion proudly, observing all the little details printed in gold. She swung it over her neck, quite ready to show it off to the world. But before she did that she needed to know about Alice. That girl was rather strange, after all.

"Alright Alice, explaining time." Fierce Fox said, turning around. But Alice was gone. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "She's gone again?! Who the heck is she?! How does she always show up when I change islands then leave when I finish them?!" Fierce Fox knew this was a mystery she needed to solve. Soon...


	6. Time Tangled

Amelia parked her plane on the sandy beach at the front of Time Tangled island, just under Fierce Fox's blimp. I hopped out, my feet touching the grainy sand, and my hair flowing in the light wind.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Amelia asked, staring at me with concern, similar to my mother.

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you and bye!" I answered, rushing off the hot sand and onto the hard concrete. I passed the tall building known as 'Party Time Tower', which is made out of bricks and balloons. I kept on walking until I arrived in front of Pendulum's lab. It's shaped like a giant, metal clock, with two long hands and a little shed on the side. I spotted Fierce Fox roaming around, not really doing anything.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, running up right behind her. She turned around in surprise when she saw me. Soon, it became hostility.

"Oh. It's you." Fierce Fox grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. It's me…" I replied, grinning nervously. Fierce Fox continued to glare at me, until she was interrupted by a cry nearby us. I knew who it was, unlike Fierce Fox, who was rather surprised.

A lady with frizzy, brown mad-scientist hair and glasses was frantic; almost crying at us. "Help! Something terrible has happened and now the future is in peril!"

"Let's go and see what it is, then," I spoke up (though I knew perfectly well what was wrong), as the crying lady went inside the building. I followed after her; being first for once, Fierce Fox shortly behind me. The lab is built completely out of metal, with metal platforms and forms of electricity in the walls. In front of Fierce Fox and I is a downward, metal slope, which I slid down, while Fierce Fox jumped. We arrived in front of the time machine, which is a cylinder-shaped, metal thing with wires shaped like antennae on the top. The woman was still crying. There was also a man on the right side of the machine, holding documents. He gasped when he saw me.

"You're… You're the one they spoke about in the future. They said you knew many things, and saved Poptropica. The one that villains wanted... And a true hero." The man gasped, in a voice as if he was telling a prophecy. His eyes were wide and he was breathing slowly, as if I was the queen. I bit my lip, feeling Fierce Fox's vicious stare on the back of my head.

"Um... Go to the area beneath us and push the giant plug in." I instructed fearfully to Fierce Fox, pointing beneath my feet. She gave me a suspicious glance, but jumped down regardless. I felt my heart racing and sweat trickle my forehead. And a true hero? What does that mean? The ones that villains wanted? Saved Poptropica? Suddenly I had a feeling that the time-traveling wasn't the only dangerous thing I would be tampering with…

I heard of flash of electricity, and my curiosity made me look up. The antenna was alight, and so was the door of the time machine. The interior was flashing blue, like a light. Fierce Fox appeared by my side, and we both gazed at the time machine.

"Ready to go Back To The Future?" I asked, with a wink (1). Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. I gestured her to the blue. She jumped in, her body disappearing in a flash of light. I gulped, putting my foot in the blue, suddenly feeling all swirly and doubtful. My figure leaped inside regardless, then my vision was overcome with white.

I reopened my eyes again; thanks to nostalgia, I expected to see my bedroom curtains and my mother thumping around outside. However, instead, all around me I saw a murky green haze. In the background are dark green buildings with smoke pouring out. Thick tar floats in the air; it made me cough. I was very thankful that the real world wasn't going to look like that dystopian place... At least I hope...

Fierce Fox was wiping her eyes from all the tar. I could see a familiar figure in the distance, through all the dust. I approached Fierce Fox, and we both stormed ahead, the tar tickling our skin. The figure got closer, and closer still, until we- well, me- recognized it.

"Who are you?" Fierce Fox asked, squinting at the figure. An old lady was standing next to a peeled sign with old words on it.

"She's you, but fifty years older." I explained to Fierce Fox, who stared at me as if I was crazy. Suddenly, old Fierce Fox grinned at me.

"Alice! I haven't seen you for ages!" she cried, waving her walking stick, and giving me an embrace, her frail arms poking my back. She has young Fierce Fox's same hairstyle, except it's a light grey and all bangs from her face are gone. She's wearing the same clothing as well, but her skin and face are covered with wrinkles. Old Fierce Fox looked much happier to see me than young Fierce Fox, as she let me go. "It's so good to see you again! How are you?"

"Um... Good..." I awkwardly replied, lacing my fingers together. Then Old Fierce Fox looked depressed.

"Oh, right. I haven't found out... About you yet..." she muttered, shaking her head. Young Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow, acting more stunned than ever. What does she mean, 'about you yet'? Old Fierce Fox sighed. "Well, Alice, I know you know what to do, correct?" I nodded. "Perfect. Well, you'll be needing this." She handed me, not young Fierce Fox, the compass.

"Okay... So what exactly do we need to do?" young Fierce Fox asked, putting her hands on her hips, with a scowl.

"Good heavens! I guess I was grumpier when I was younger," sighed old Fierce Fox, tutting. "Alice will know what to do," Then she pulled me in for a whisper, "Just... Be prepared Alice. I can't tell you everything, but remember this: put a mental wall over your heart and mind."

"Okay then..." I replied, feeling rather strange. Old Fierce Fox shooed us away, eyeing the compass. I opened up the compass, young Fierce Fox peering over my shoulder. I pressed the white square with a picture of a man with a blue hood, with the writing '1953 AD'. Then the world disappeared in a flash of light.

We reappeared on a snowy mountain. There is layers of slippery ice under our feet, and platforms of rocks with soft, sludgy snow. Metal bridges lead from platform to platform. I wondered how in the world I was not getting cold, regardless of the snow storm. In fact, the falling snow didn't even feel a tiny bit wet. Poptropica! I scolded myself. Come on, you should know this by now!

"Where next, know-it-all?" Fierce Fox scowled, staring all around us. "Do I need to drag you up there again? Ugh... GREAT! WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING YOURSELF?!"

I bit my lip. "Why do you hate me? Your future self acted as if I were her best friend." I asked, before I could stop myself. Fierce Fox's muscles tensed and she whipped around and faced me.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY STUPID FUTURE SELF!"

I gulped, but my smart mouth got the better of me. "Well, you are your future self. You'll be acting just like that one day." When I saw Fierce Fox's face I wished for the first time that I was at school, doing work. It was better than being there with a furious Poptropican. She was so mad that the snow seemed to be burning underneath her feet.

"Uh... Climb up all these bridges and get to the top, where there'll be a rope! Go up the rope then run over to the people in a tent and talk to the blue one! He'll tell you his goggles are gone! Then keep climbing up the mountain until you get to the top and pick up the Liberty!" I puffed frantically, taking a few snowy steps backwards and bracing against the rock wall. Fierce Fox continued to glare, and I continued to sweat bead, praying for mercy.

Old Fierce Fox's words floated in my head. 'Just... Be prepared Alice. I can't tell you everything, but let me say that put a mental wall over your heart and mind.' I still didn't get what it meant, but I knew if it popped up in my mind, it was trying to tell me something. My job was to figure out what.

Fierce Fox and I climbed up the ledges. Fierce Fox was so angry that she didn't even speak. She just leaped up, her jaw clenched and her teeth gritted. I had to rely on my own strength and tolerance to climb the mountain. I slipped and fell so many times. Luckily I didn't get hurt, but I still had the knowledge that I was going to die. It took me about 15 minutes to get over one slope.

The cowardly human in me made the whole experience much harder. However, the little courage I had was the thing that kept me going. The jumps were the hardest. I had to climb up those. And the whole atmosphere also drained all my mental strength (not so much physical; I was in Poptropica).

When I finally arrived at the top of the mountain, where the Liberty was, I passed out on the snow. Fierce Fox was looking rather bored; she had been waiting ages for me. Luckily, old Fierce Fox had given me the compass. If she hadn't, I would've welcomed the mountain as my new home. The sun shone on my face, and the snow was soft between my fingers.

Fierce Fox groaned when she saw me. I shrugged in a friendly way, looking up from the snow. I reached into my mysteriously-appearing inventory and pulled out my compass. Staring at it through dazed eyes, I hovered my finger over a white button, which showed a man with flat, curvy hair and matching beard. The arrow spun around, landing on his face.

"France 1832, here we come..." I muttered, as white overcame my vision once more.

We arrived in a totally new, snow-less place. There are wooden buildings around us, all identified with French words. There are large piles of wood and bits and pieces everywhere, creating quite a messy construction sight. Right behind Fierce Fox and I was a partly-built, wooden model of Liberty. I stared at it, admiring every wooden detail, along with the wooden frame surrounding it.

"Go right up to the top of the wooden frame and jump to your left. You'll land on a platform. Jump to the one beneath it and grab the brown book. Oh, and... Please... Give me the Liberty model." I instructed this in my politest tone, including a friendly smile. Fierce Fox's eyes narrowed. She shoved the Liberty model into my arms, before jumping onto the wooden frame. I felt a tinge of pain stab my heart, but I shook it off. The Liberty disappeared into my inventory and I began to head over to the place where such item was needed.

I entered a little white building which has a tin roof and wooden walls, called Gadget, Gauthier et Cie. The whole building is covered in a black shadow and is full of artifacts and sculptures, all made of stone. I headed to the end; the guy I saw on the compass was there, standing next to a podium. I gave him the Liberty model; he placed it on the podium, crying for joy.

"Thank you for returning this model. You've saved the project!" he exclaimed, in surprisingly good English. The sun dramatically shone on the model, making it look rather majestic. I smiled. I left the building and found Fierce Fox outside, her arms crossed.

"One done, 10 to go!" I cried cheerfully, getting out the compass. Fierce Fox just scoffed. I turned the arrow onto the man wearing a black, pirate-like hat and a pigtail. The arrow spun around, and we were locked into more light.

The next location was the Graff House. It's a cloudy night time, with old, rotting fences by our sides and hedgehogs crawling on the floor. The Graff House was right ahead of us; it's made out of red brick and many lit up windows, taken straight from the 18th century. I suddenly felt the old Poptropica exuberance whizz through me. I was really doing something... Exciting! It was what I had always been envious of when I was on Earth. There was nothing so great there. All the exciting things had to be so dangerous... And I was so cowardly that I never wanted to face them. Now I had the chance.

Fierce Fox was already at the wooden door of the Graff House. I rather slowly jumped over the hedgehogs, my feet inches away from their spines. I trotted up to Fierce Fox, facing the Graff House. I could hear the faint murmurings of music and people inside. However, we were not going into the Graff House just yet.

"On the chimney," I instructed Fierce Fox, pointing at the roof. "There's a bag of salt. You need to-" But she was already leaping up the window sills. I sighed. Most Poptropicans journey and explore on their own, with the assistance of the voice, of course. But that's just a voice in their head. Fierce Fox's voice wasn't in her head anymore. It was physically with her. However, she did not know this. And her voice wasn't so sure if she would want to know.

Fierce Fox reappeared next to me, with her usual scowl. I was about to comment on how quick she was, but then I remembered that look in her fierce eyes when we were on the mountain. So instead, I reached into my bag and got out the golden compass, spinning to the picture of a dark-skinned woman with a pink turban. I pressed the knob, and the white consumed our vision once more.

This time, we were in a desert land, which is filled with rock-like brown buildings; the floor covered in the brown dirt; the buildings with wooden poles poking out, totally surrounding us. In the distance, I heard the cry of an eagle and the hiss of a snake. The sky is a beautiful pattern of the sunrise, the colour filling the sky. The Mali Empire, 1387.

"This way," I instructed, pointing directly above me. There's a wooden pole, then a flourishing green tree poking out above it, both connected to the rock-like houses. "Climb up to the top and give the white turban guy the salt." I watched Fierce Fox act out my words, jumping like the eagles in the sky.

Meanwhile, I weakly (the mountain climbing was still bothering me) leaped up to the wooden pole, gripping it with my hands and hanging on the underside like a sloth. I dug my feet into the side of the building, bringing myself up the right way. I stood up on the pole, my feet trembling. I reached over, similar to a rope, and gripped the next building, pushing my legs off. I rolled onto the second building, like a total idiot.

Then, I made a leap of faith over to the tree, just gripping it with my fingers. My knees bent as I kneeled on the tree. I rolled myself onto the final platform, which is just above the tree, while I laid on my back. However, I squealed when I saw a vicious brown viper strike at my head. I slipped over to the edge, nearly falling off.

Fierce Fox's shadow appeared above my head, catching the viper's attention. I scrambled to my weak feet, shivering. I have to jump... Come on Alice, you did the mountain, this should be easy! But my old human fear kept coming back and sticking like glue. A little flick of sweat rolled down my cheek. Fierce Fox was growling on the other side, showing no interest in helping me at all. I sighed.

"Fierce Fox! Jump up that brown building, then over the large sausage statue. Go into the Timbuktu Inn and find the white-turban guy with a scroll in his hand. You want the foreign, English document. To get it from him, you'll need to complete a puzzle. Complete that, get the document, and meet me in the place where we got here from." I instructed tiredly. Fierce Fox glanced at me with a scowl, before jumping off. I breathed out a puff of relief and got out the compass. I opened it and pressed the picture of a man with no beard and brown hair. I disappeared in a flash.

The area around me went from sandy to soft. There's dirt under my feet; poshly built fences; trees; a large, pale wood mansion; the sky as blue as blue. I passed by all these, the dirt getting in my toes.

I spotted a rather strange looking bike; it's made out of pale green metal, and a large wheel at the back, and a small wheel at the front. I climbed into the leather seat and pressed a red button on the back. The bike lurched forward, smoke coming out the exhaust. It moved slowly along; probably the most pleasant thing I had been on that day. It parked under a tree. I climbed onto the highest leather seat, staring at the branch above me. I jumped up, grabbing it with my tired fingers.

I pulled myself onto it, like I was riding a horse. My legs dug into the green leaves; I stood up. I leaped over to the house side, my hands now grabbing the window sill, which was more like a fence. My feet scraped along the window; my hands flicked off all the old paint. Using the pole of the 'window fence', I managed to pull myself onto the slope of the roof. I apprehensively trotted across the sloped, triangular roof, using the red brick chimney for support.

Then I slid upwards, like a snake on the ascending part of the roof, before rolling sideways to the second chimney. I easily got to my feet, using the second chimney for support. On top of the second chimney was the Sun Stone Piece. I gripped the chimney with my hands and legs, hauling myself up. When I was finally in reach, I pulled the piece down, landing on my back and the piece going into my inventory. I let out a breath of relief. Laying on my back on the sloped roof, I got out my compass and returned to The Mali Empire.

The sand, dust and cries of eagles hit me all over again. Fierce Fox arrived at exactly the same time, scowling at such fact, as we faced each other.

"Okay, now we need to go back to the Graff House." I spoke, getting out the compass once more. I pressed the man with the pigtail, and again, got the white flash.

We reappeared in the nighttime environment, the hedgehogs just ahead. I eyed the Graff House.

"You've got the Declaration of Independence. Go inside and give it to the man with the black hat and pigtail." I instructed, trying not to be firm. Without looking back, Fierce Fox headed inside the Graff House, leaving me alone once again. I sighed, feeling my skin prickle. Once Fierce Fox handed in the Declaration of Independence, that would be another pin bowled down. Meanwhile, I couldn't stop thinking about Old Fierce Fox.

Are we really going to be friends in the future? It didn't seem true now. Fierce Fox hated me. Maybe Old Fierce Fox just got excited over seeing someone she shared nostalgia with.

Young Fierce Fox returned, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. I got out the compass once again, flicked off the lid, and pointed the knob at a man with a feather hat. Light consumed our vision.

This time we entered a much... Prettier place. There are beautiful alabaster pyramids, decorated with colourful ancient art. There are crops of corn and other plants with thick, green stems. The Aztec Empire, 1519. I noticed all the residents wear colourful clothing, containing some form of feathers. I set my eye on the largest pyramid, which had a large, colourful plate with a piece missing.

"Fierce Fox, go to the last pyramid with the old warrior on it. He'll give you his mask. Put on the mask, then go to the largest pyramid and talk to the warrior with the grey goggles. He'll give you his goggles." I instructed, eyeing my Poptropican. She snorted at me, before running off and leaving me in the dust. I bolted past the smaller pyramids and many crops, arriving at the foot of the large pyramid. A furious warrior, with his spear equipped, charged for me.

I hopped out of his way, grabbing onto the side of the pyramid's stair rail; I pulled myself on. I rolled myself over the thick, red rail and onto the stairs. Slowly, stretching my thin legs, I climbed up to the top.

The top is amazing. There is a trapezoid block by my side, with circular, stone pictures of colourful, sun-like illustrations on top. A big piece was taken out of it, like a pizza slice.

"I have the sun stone piece!" I cried, to one of the rulers standing on the top. He has blue feathers on his head and various colours wrapped around his body. The Sun Stone piece flew out of my inventory and locked itself into the gap on the stone.

"Thank you! We will remember you forever!" the ruler cried, with a big grin. Done, I thought triumphantly. Then I glanced at the stairs. I groaned.

Fierce Fox and I reunited at the bottom of the pyramid, Fierce Fox still wearing the mask. It made her look like an idiot, but luckily my smart mouth was shut tight.

I took us back to the snowy mountain; haunting, tiring memories creeped into my head. This time, Fierce Fox herself leaped up to deliver the campers on the mountain their goggles, while I waited at the bottom of the mountain. I had done far too much jumping and climbing. I reminded myself again that I was in Poptropica, so there was no way I could get physically hurt. Physically.

Fierce Fox returned, looking as fresh as a baby. If she was human I think she could be a brilliant gymnast or dancer. And I could be the toilet cleaner. Ignoring my harsh thoughts, I opened my compass and flicked the knob onto a man with a grey beard and brown hat.

After the usual flash of light, we found ourselves in a naturalistic place: grass on the floor, and a great waterfall nearby. The waterfall flows from a cube of dirt; rock platforms poke out of such fall of water. A few large, mountainous rocks are near the edge of the waterfall, along with a wooden sign saying 'Leo's Workshop'. I gulped, realizing all the jumping we would have to do...

"Um," I spoke up, pointing at the waterfall. "Jump up there. There'll be some platforms and things you'll need to pull and stuff, but eventually you'll get to Leo's workshop. Go inside, find Leo, and give him that notebook we found in France. He'll give you his glider wings. Put them on and go back outside. You'll see all those wooden platforms, and under one of them will be this silver thing. Use the gilder to get that. After that, meet me back here." I instructed, trying to sound as brave as I possibly could.

The little courage in me wanted to do what Fierce Fox was doing, but the lack of such courage was too much. Fierce Fox briefly glared at me, before she started hopping up the rocks. Meanwhile, I got out the compass and pressed the button with the man with brown hair and a brown hat. White consumed my vision again.

The area around me turned into night time, like the Graff House. However, there's a spooky forest in the background, and a camp right around me. There are small, brown tents and a burning campfire near me. The man from the compass was right in front of me, though I had no interest in talking to him yet.

I headed past the rest of the camp, reaching a pale brown, slightly peeled tree. I leaped up slightly, grabbing the first branch with my hands and pulling myself on. Then, using my legs and my hands, I jumped like a frog across to the second branch.

I repeated the same process for the third branch. I glanced at the hole on the top of the tree, seeing the furry face of a beaver popping out. On top of its head was a silver vase, with Chinese symbols. I bent my knees, feeling the old human fear again. The beaver disappeared, then reappeared. I jumped up like an idiot, banging my head on the tree, but grabbing the vase.

I slipped off the tree branch, plummeting backwards, the world passing me in a horrid blur. I hit the ground- as usual not feeling any pain- but still the shock sensation. I reminded myself of the same words: It. Is. Poptropica! I sighed, getting onto my feet. Now for Fierce Fox. I got out the compass, going back to Leonardo Da Vinci's time. Fierce Fox and I met at the foot of the waterfall once more.

"Let's go." I said, pointing the knob of the compass back on the man with brown hair and a hat. We arrived back in the camp, where Fierce Fox handed them back their peace medal. Then we finally got to go to Ancient China.

Ancient China is incredible. There are little straw huts, containing white glue to build the great wall. Everywhere I looked there are stands holding bricks made of grey stone. The sky is a brilliant blue, and my face automatically split into a smile; old excitement filled me again. Fierce Fox gave me a strange look.

"Go get the gunpowder," I instructed, pointing to my far right, "Then go up left until you see a guy with armor. Give him this," I handed her the Chinese jug. "Then meet me back here." I put on a little grin. Fierce Fox scowled at me before jumping off. Meanwhile, with my feet padding along the grass and dried up concrete, I leaped- well, hauled myself- onto the wooden frame.

Like a giant step, I got onto the next one, now right up against the wall. I frog-jumped across a few more, before getting onto the actual wall. A man stands on it, his feet sticking into the stone, and his back bent. I trotted across and joined him, feeling the cool bricks under my feet.

"Like the amulet I'm wearing? You can win it if you beat me in a simple memory game." he spoke, in a soft, Asian accent. I sighed, my knees slightly bent.

"Thanks, I do want that, but there's something else too," I answered, getting a strange look from him. "Tell me how to make amends." The word came out of my honesty, realizing how desperate I was for Fierce Fox and I to make amends. Or stop being enemies.

"Well," the guy replied. "We'll discuss over playing this," He got out a bunch of white tiles, all with different patterns. "Pay attention to this one," He pointed to one with three sticks: two black, one red. With his swift fingers, the man swapped them around, my eyes glued to the original one. "If you truly want to make amends with one, then you must make peace. You must find what side is black and what side is white. Then you must piece them together," I placed my hand on one of them, which was the wrong one. Instead it was yin yang, swirling in peace. "Just like that. Work together."

"Um... Thanks..." I replied, though it seemed rather useless. How was that going to help me? The man suddenly pushed the piece forward.

"You may keep it. And since you are interested," the guy took off his amulet, placing it in my hand. "You may have this as well."

"Thank you." I replied, both items going into my inventory. I grinned at his generosity, although my head was perplexed. I got to my feet, feeling more unusual than ever. I shook my head, telling myself to relax. Bending my knees, I- slowly as always- climbed down from the spot on the wall, avoiding the falling bricks. I arrived back in the original spot, where an impatient Fierce Fox was waiting. I bit my lip at her, feeling sweat dampen my neck.

You must find what side is black and what side is white. Then you must piece them together. Work together. The voice occurred in my head.

"Fierce Fox," I began, the compass in one hand. "I... We... Need to go to the vikings." I flicked the lid off the compass, turning the knob onto an old man with a long, grey beard.

There was a flash of thunder and splash of rain. I opened my eyes, the wooden floor beneath me shivering with the storm. We were on a viking ship. Everywhere I stared there is rain, thick forests and vikings. Fierce Fox and I climbed out of the viking ship, our feet landing on the soaking grass. I bolted right up to the nearest viking, who was the viking on the compass, with his long, braided beard. I grabbed the amulet out of my inventory, which is shaped like a silver hammer.

"Thank you! The powers of Thor are with us again!" the viking cried, as I handed him the amulet. I grinned at his statement, before turning to Fierce Fox.

"Did you get the gunpowder?" I asked. She gave me a brisk nod. "Okay, this way." I trotted forward, passing the viking, and coming to a collection of rocks, which formed a mountain. They're large, flat rocks piled on the round rocks, creating platforms. A cave is at the top, blocked by a pile of rocks. I felt my skin tingle at the sight of all that jumping. I looked pleadingly at Fierce Fox, but she just scowled at me. There was no way she was going to help me again.

"Use your gunpowder at the top." I instructed, pointing to the top. Fierce Fox, being her usual athletic self, leaped up the platforms. I sighed, using the frog-jumping technique, along with some rock climbing. It was annoying, but better than jumping like a bullet then falling like a rock, like the normal jump. But I wasn't normal. Not really.

I arrived at the front of the cave, peering at the grey boulders. Fierce Fox placed the gunpowder at the front of the pile of rocks, before igniting such thing. My human instinct made me cover my face. However, even with such an explosion, I didn't get hurt. Even when the rocks literally flew right onto me.

"I will never understand Poptropican physics," I muttered, shaking my head. I eyed the cold darkness of the depth of the cave, the faint dripping of water bleaching my ears. I raised my voice. "Anyway, now we need to get through this maze. There'll be a lot of jumping, don't fall in the water, and you'll need to be fast. Once you get to the end, you'll need to get the golden vase. Then leave." I instructed, trying not to stress. Fierce Fox equipped one of the alighted sticks and faced the front of the cave. I picked one up too, trying not to let my fear of the dark get to my head.

"Why are you coming in?" Fierce Fox asked, as we stood under the entrance of the cave, water dripping nearby. I was surprised to hear her raspy voice one more. It was like hearing a cry of life after five years of being in a coma. But it didn't sound happy.

"We need to work together," I answered. You must find what side is black and what side is white. Work together. The words stabbed me like spears. Fierce Fox snorted.

"Then why didn't you help me before? That hang glider was hard to use." she retorted. I hung my head, almost in shame.

"I..." I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know what to answer. I just bit my lip, standing there like an idiot. "The cave." I stormed inside the darkness, treating more it like a welcome rather than a fear. Fierce Fox muttered something under her breath, but followed me in anyway.

The cave is wet and pitch black, the torch only supplying so much light. There are stretched webs on the dark blue cave background; rock platforms under our feet; stalagmites in the corners. I gulped, fear flooding me all over again. I stared down at the pitch black darkness, knowing that's where we'd have to jump. I would've preferred to climb the mountain again then do that.

Fierce Fox leaped down, her feet splashing in the puddle below. I gulped, sitting on the edge, my legs hanging down. I slipped, pushing my butt further to the edge, my face covered in sweat. Then I jumped off, my hair rushing in the cool drop. The mountain memories didn't seem so harsh anymore. I landed on the bottom, taking a few moments to recover. Then I realized that my torch was out, and all around me was more darkness. Every hair on my body stood up, my legs and arms trembling, cold water dampening my skin. I was alone in the dark. The dangerous, freezing, dark.

I forced myself to my feet, my eyes furiously trying to adjust to the darkness, as I took huge steps forwards. Darkness was everywhere. I'd hated darkness since I was young. It was along with my most hated things, along with my bad leg. You just couldn't see anything in it! In this situation, I only had to put up with one of them, but it was in a dark cave, with dripping walls and grunts from another Poptropican. If I did have my faulty leg, it would be at the bottom of my list.

"Fierce Fox! Please wait!" I cried, my voice strained. The strain and realization that I could be with someone else gave me the energy I needed. I skipped across the wet floor, praying I wouldn't bump into anything. I perked up my ears, trying to hear Fierce Fox storming across the floor. But I couldn't. Then I got even more afraid. What if she already got the vase and left? What if she locked me in here? What if I never get out? I was so focused on my fearful predictions that I didn't notice a gap in the path. I slipped and fell from it, my throat almost bursting from the shocked scream. I grabbed onto the side of the path, hanging down.

"HELP!" I cried, out of desperation. "FIERCE FOX! SOMEBODY!" No one answered my calls, and my hand was getting limp. Then I heard footsteps.

"Oh, you're stuck again." Fierce Fox grumbled, her figure just visible in the dark. She was staring at me, but then her eyes directed elsewhere, assumingly the exit. My fingers were getting weaker.

"Help..." I breathed. Fierce Fox's eyes darted back and forth from the exit and I. I let my limbs loosen, knowing that she wouldn't help me again. She hadn't helped me on the mountain. She hadn't helped me up anywhere. She had run out of sympathy. But I hadn't. And I knew what she wanted.

"Do you really want to know who I am?" I asked, my sore hands making the words come out of my mouth. Fierce Fox kept her eyes on me. They didn't seem to want to move back to the exit.

"Know who you are..." she breathed, considering. Then she glared. "Fine. I'll save you. But you have to promise to tell me what's going on."

"Yes! I promise!" I cried, more desperately than ever. Fierce Fox breathed out slowly, but leaped over to my side, her feet in front of my hands. She grabbed my hands and hauled me up, draining my fear of dropping off the edge completely. However, I was still afraid to tell her the truth. Old Fierce Fox's words hit me again: put a mental wall over your heart and mind. It still didn't make sense. When will that come into play? I sighed, shooing my overlapping, tiring thoughts out of my head.

"So... Explain yourself." Fierce Fox snared. I trembled.

"Let's get out of this cave first." I replied.

Fierce Fox actually helped me get out of the cave, which I was extremely thankful for. There was no way I could get out of that dark cave without help. While we were climbing out, I told her how to complete the rest of the island, though my brain was still thinking about old Fierce Fox's words. I sighed, giving up on attempting to clear my mind.

We arrived into the light of the cave's exit, rain pouring all around us. Thankfully for Poptropican physics, it didn't wet us.

"Explain. Now." Fierce Fox spoke, her hands on her hips, and glaring at me. I gulped, unsure of where to start.

"Um..." I began, my brain beyond confused. Even perplexed was an understatement. I searched my frantic, unorganized mind for answers. Then I finally found one. "Well... You know… How you have a voice?"

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

I gulped. "Well... The best way to put this is... That I'm... sort of your voice."

Fierce Fox's pupils shrunk. "What do you mean? You can't be my voice. You're standing right here!"

I bowed my head. "Well... Um, voices... Are an entire species on their own. We live in a totally different world, called Earth. On Earth... Poptropica is a..." I paused, not sure how Fierce Fox would take this next line. "A computer game."

"What?!" Fierce Fox cried, looking outraged.

I gulped again. "Yes. It's true! Poptropica is a computer game. And I'm not just your voice, Fierce Fox. I'm your creator."

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" Fierce Fox shouted, clenching her fists. "You can't be!"

"It's true! And for the last few nights I've been coming here from my world. You know that voice that tells you to run around? That's me! You know how I always know what to do? Because this whole world is virtual! Nothing changes here. I always know what to do because I've played these islands before!" I cried back, a bead of sweat on my forehead. Fierce Fox growled.

"That isn't true! Poptropica isn't a computer game and you aren't my creator!" she yelled, her tone of voice scaring me. But my smart mouth won again.

"Then... Explain how everything I say is going to happen happens." By the look on Fierce Fox's face, I wished I had sellotape on my mouth. Or I was deaf.

"You know what?" Fierce Fox began, and I braced myself. "I'm done with you. First of all, you show up out of nowhere, then constantly need my help, while you already know what to do, and then you just disappear at the end! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I'M FINISHED WITH YOU AND YOUR STUPID LIES!" she paused, taking a step towards me. "WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER TO TALK TO YOU?! WHY DOES ANYONE BOTHER TO TALK TO YOU?!"

I stumbled backwards, nearing the edge of the rock. I wanted to say something. I wanted to speak. But I didn't know how. Fierce Fox stepped closer to me, before we were nose to nose.

"Get out of my sight, or I'll push you off this rock. And I never want to see you again. Go back to wherever you came from and don't come back." she growled, in a pitch no louder than a whisper (2). But it made my skin shiver as if she was screaming. I was so shocked I couldn't even think properly. Words couldn't form in my head. Memories from the past seemed shattered. It was like my brain had shut down.

"Fine. Fine. Fine." I muttered, repeating the word over and over again. I ripped open my inventory and got out the compass. "Fine. Complete the island. Fine. Fine. Fine." I pressed the 'lab' button on the compass, before chucking it at Fierce Fox. White overcame my vision, just as I saw her glare one last time.

I dragged myself out of the time machine, barely having enough in me to breath. I just felt dead. I was too dead to cry. I was too dead to be angry. I was too dead to do anything. All I could do was feel useless. No one wanted me anymore. Not even my own Poptropican. That didn't surprise me. The entire school was against me. Why not everyone in Poptropica, too? I grumbled, storming out into the present Time Tangled island.

Mental walls? Strong hearts? Courage? Usefulness? I had none. I had no one. I closed my eyes, waiting to leave.


	7. 24 Carrot

I tried everything I could to stop entering Poptropica. I knew in my heart that I was losing my chance to be free from my leg... And my life, but nobody wanted me in Poptropica. But I entered anyway.

I reappeared on Home Island again, but it felt different. Instead of a welcome, it felt more like a reminder of Fierce Fox yelling at me. I tried to shake the thought off, but it wouldn't go away. I sighed, giving up, and slumped down next to New You. What was I going to do? Fierce Fox would never accept me... But how am I supposed to leave if I don't complete the island? Maybe I could send her a letter... No, that won't work. Or maybe I could get someone else to play with her? But then she would wonder how they know stuff... Just like with me.

To distract my numb mind, I grouchily pulled myself to my feet and sprinted along the island, my eyes picking up on every detail. Poptropica is a strange, strange place. I could've paused and gazed at every miniature pixel for hours. But I didn't. I just kept going.

I almost slammed right into Fierce Fox, who was casually roaming on the bridge. I slipped into a bush, almost like a spy, watching my Poptropican. She had a neutral expression, albeit it still made me shiver. Her furious voice in my head... I gripped the leaves of the bush, mentally slapping myself. Come on, get over yourself, Alice. But I needed to worry... I needed to get her to complete the island with me... Or I would never get home. Then I got an idea.

I stealthy slipped out of the bush, bending my knees as my feet lightly brushed the ground of Home Island. The store I needed was in sight. Perfect. I almost grinned. I slipped the door of New You open, the strong scent of shampoo hitting my nostrils. The fashionista was there as always, admiring the outfits above her. I bolted past her, going to the next room, where the smell of hairspray was stronger than ever.

The two rooms are separated by a brick wall. The barber side is run by an old man with grey, spiky, curled hair and a pointy beard. On the sea-foam coloured tiles are pictures of hairstyling equipment. On the floor there is a large, red chair. There's also a shower in the corner, covered by a translucent shower cover, which said 'temporary hair colour'. The other side said 'permanent hair colour'.

I headed past the man and straight up to the 'temporary hair colour' shower, by mistake- which I didn't realize at the time. I reluctantly pulled back the curtain, surrounding myself in the green tiles. A huge, silver sprayer was in front of my face, with a keypad, showing different hair colours. I pressed the black hair colour and felt the sprayer's engine turn on. Black tar flew in my face, and I shut my eyelids tight. A few brief seconds later, a hair fell in my eyes. Instead of the regular blonde, it had become a jet-black.

I climbed out of the shower, my new black curls bouncing, and headed to where the clothes are. I fiercely tugged on the lever near the employee; the mannequins near the roof switched clothes.

"I guess it could work in the right light..." the fashionista commented thoughtfully. I ignored her and picked the mannequin on the end. A blue screen popped up in front of my face, giving me a view of the outfit. I smiled and pressed the items I liked with my finger. They appeared on my body, covering my old clothes.

I was now wearing a yellow t-shirt with a music note on the chest, a black jacket over the top. My legs were covered in navy blue jeans, and my black hair was tied up in a bun. A white baseball cap was slicked over my bun, the front pointing forwards. I gazed at my new appearance in a mirror, a name popping up in my head: Brave Tiger.

I exited New You, the jeans digging into my skin. My baseball cap tipped forward ever so slightly, covering my eyes. I inhaled deeply, puffing out my chest. I'm not Alice anymore. Storming forward, with a powerful spring in my step, I approached Fierce Fox, who was boredly humming to herself and leaning against her blimp rope. I cleared my throat, forcing my cowardice away.

"Hello," I spoke up, deepening my voice, so it sounded tough and gravelly. "What's up?"

"Not much. Who are you?" Fierce Fox inquired, gazing at me with mild interest. I placed a masculine grin on my face.

"Name's Brave Tiger. You?" I asked, fear trying to my voice squeak. I kept forcing it away.

"Fierce Fox. Never seen you before." she commented, her brow slightly raised.

"Just got here from the box, gettin' used to the voice," I replied coolly, flicking a piece of black hair. "Kinda new. Though I'm sure this old place will be pretty easy. Since, y'know, Poptropica's all 'bout adventures."

Fierce Fox actually smiled at me. "I know what you mean."

"Thanks, man. Say, are you going on any trips on your blimp? You see, I kinda need a ride to 24 Carrot Island." I crossed my arms while saying this.

"Well, you're in luck, 'cause I was just 'bout to go there," Fierce Fox suddenly became apprehensive. "I don't know if I want you to come or not, 'cause of the last time I had a partner. She was this really annoying girl called Alice, who kept following me around, yet she was just like the voice, always knowing what to do, though she couldn't jump without squealing like a baby. I had to help her all the time. What's weird is that every time I completed an island, she disappeared. She was full of mysteries. She wouldn't tell me anything. Then, she literally told me she was my voice- crazy talk- and I lost it at her. I haven't seen her since, thank goodness."

I tried not to show the pure horror on my face. "Wow, man, she sounds messed up. But don't worry dude, I'm no smarter than you. Seriously, I just joined!" I exclaimed, chuckling and secretly admiring my acting skills. When I'm really determined to achieve something, I'll do even the craziest things to get it. Other emotions can affect what I do or say, but the fire that is determination will always be burning. Failure puts it out.

Fierce Fox rolled her eyes, but not in a rude way. "Alright. You can come. But if you're an idiot, get out of my sights." she replied, climbing up her rope like a snake. My old fear suddenly flooded my body. No, I scolded myself, you are not afraid. I grabbed onto the end of the rope, my feet gripped on the bottom; I slid myself into the basket. I fiercely got to my feet, brushing my sweat off like it was something I did every day. Fierce Fox winked at me, before the blimp lifted into the air, leaving Home Island in a pile of blue.

A little bit of travelling over the Poptropican seas later, we (with some help from the map) arrived on 24 Carrot Island. Everywhere around me on the island was filthy, broken down and ruined. People were sobbing, moping and weeping over their ruined carrots. The sky was covered in a brown tar, polluted and deadly. The mayor was bawling underneath the dead sign.

I was about to instruct what to do, when I realized I wasn't Miss Know-it-all anymore. I had to act like a clueless Poptropican. I turned around and faced the crying mayor.

"Our town is ruined! All the carrots are gone!" he sobbed harder, his tears flowing like waterfalls. Fierce Fox and I gave each other a glance.

"What now?" I questioned, shrugging, though the voices in my head were screaming the answer.

"I guess we need Alice now..." Fierce Fox joked, as we grinned at each other. I briefly turned my head towards the 'Carrot Farm' sign.

"Look, I have no idea... Maybe we should go that way?" I suggested, acting as stupid as I could, gesturing to the sign.

"Guess so." Fierce Fox replied, and the two of us trotted side by side to the carrot farm, the disgusting mulch beneath us reeking our noses. There was a farmer in front of us, under an ancient sign for 'Funny Bunny Farms'. To his left is an old, white brick house, with smashed windows, and a bolted-up door. Everything about the house speaks dangerous. Heck, it creeped me out when I was playing the island as Fierce Fox. I kept my game-face on.

"How do we get inside?" I asked, trying to eye gesture towards the chimney, but not too obviously.

"There's gotta be an entrance around somewhere..." Fierce Fox wondered, as she examined the house. Then I gasped, pretending I had discovered something brand new.

"The chimney!" I cried, jabbing a finger at the red brick, dirty chimney.

"Clever thinking!" Fierce Fox replied, bending her knees. I replicated her, trying to ignore my fear, as we both leaped up to the top. I expected to hit my face and scar my skin, but strangely, I didn't- well, that's Poptropica. Though I still got the adrenaline rush.

Shutting my eyes, I leaped into the chimney like Santa Claus, dropping down into the ancient house. Chills shivered up my spine, and my teeth threatened to chatter, but I shook my head, exhaling deeply. I examined the house, which has an olive green, peeling wall paper; scratched furniture; a table with an overgrown plant; a sign that says 'I love carrots' and a little silver bowl. The floor creaked as I took a step, and the rustic stanch overflowed my nostrils.

"Creepy." Fierce Fox commented behind me, suddenly appearing. I kept in my squeal.

"What do we need to do now?" I wondered coolly, shrugging, as I walked forward, pretending to act perplexed. I obliviously headed right over an empty bowl, collecting it. "Oh... I think we were meant to do that..."

"Is there anything else we need to do?" Fierce Fox asked. I faced her with a look of confusion.

"I have no clue. Maybe we should search?" I suggested, acting as casual as I could. "Or, y'know, logic, we need to fill this bowl up with something." Suddenly, I was interrupted by a high-pitched meow. "A cat! We need to investigate!" I cried, jabbing my finger to the layer above me. Fierce Fox bolted on, like an athlete, slithering up to the top. I heard a shower turn on, and another cat yowl, before the cranky Poptropican returned.

"That cat ain't friendly." she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. I chuckled.

"That stinks, man. For now I'm worried 'bout what we could do with this bowl. What do you think we could put in it?" I clasped the bowl in my hands, gesturing to it as I spoke.

"Couldn't hurt to search." Fierce Fox said, which I agreed to with a nod. The two of us somehow climbed up the chimney- which took most of my strength and persistence. I tried not to limp and act drained as we headed back to the main street. To be honest, that weakness was not really physical. It was just what I expected, so it was mentally created. A bit stupid, really.

Anyway, the two of us observed the remote town. I eyed the Carrot Dinner, its broken lights dimming, with an eyebrow raised.

"Maybe there's something in there?" I observed causally. We entered, picking up on the stuffy chairs and marvelously grimy floor. Only a few of the lights work; they shine down on the rotten food. A woman- named Flo- who looks like she's from the 80s roamed around, carrying a jug of milk.

"Excuse me," I approached her, holding out the bowl. "Know anything that could fill this bowl?"

"This milk could do the trick!" Flo exclaimed, pouring the white, creamy liquid into my glass bowl.

"Oh... Thanks," I replied, staring at Fierce Fox with turmoil, as the milk vanished into my inventory. I followed her outside, her eyes displaying a small amount of suspicion- which was nothing compared to when I was Alice, by the way. I grinned. "That was weird. Seriously, who gives out free milk? What the heck are we going to do with it anyway, dude?"

Fierce Fox's eyes became filled with curiosity. "Suppose... We could give it to someone... I don't know.."

Then I gasped. "The cat! Cats like milk, don't they?"

Fierce Fox grinned. "Of course! You're a genius!"

I chuckled, shaking my head, though my stomach was a pit of dismay. "Nah, I'm just a newbie. Seriously man, I've just been guessing here. Honestly, you haven't been doing enough. Why don't you give this to the cat? I'll see if I can find anything about this... Bizarre place, 'cause I don't know anymore than you do." I handed her the bowl of milk, with another one of those confident smiles.

"Thanks, bro." Fierce Fox replied, rushing off with the milk. I gave her a quick salute. When she was gone, I fell to my knees, totally unlike Brave Tiger, exhaling heavily. Boy, this is going to be harder than I thought. Well, honestly, I didn't misjudge this for being easy, of course, but it's not like I thought it was going to be overly difficult. At least when I was Alice I didn't have to act like Superman. Now I did. But how else am I going to get home? Then again... Did I really want to leave? Or is it just because I want to get out of Fierce Fox's sight?

I could see said Poptropican coming my direction, so I speedily hopped to my feet, making a bold pose. Fierce Fox appeared rather bothered, and when I heard a meow, I understood why.

"This stupid cat's following me!" she complained, glaring at the feline. He (I think) meowed at me. I faintly bit my lip.

"I checked all the stores; this one," I gestured to Charlie's Carrot Supplies. "Is missing a cat."

"Cool." Fierce Fox replied, disappearing inside the shop, the kitty following her. I relaxed my muscles and lowered my chest. Goodness. Those break moments were more precious than I thought they'd be. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. "Gave the cat back to the lady. She gave a crowbar."

"Really?" I asked, fake confusion entering my voice. "What could we do with that?"

"You expect me to know?" Fierce Fox grumpily asked, with a shrug. I struck an inquisitive pose.

"Well, some of the Poptropicans here told me about an old carrot cake factory. Said it was shut down or something. Perhaps... We need to use it to get in." Fierce Fox seemed pleased. I wasn't.

The Carrot Cake factory is old alright. Creepy, too. There are large pipes holding deadly, green liquids; smoky pipes; peeling signs; smashed windows; creaky, bolted up door ways and a sewage underneath the whole thing. It made the hairs on my arms stand up. Thank goodness I was wearing a jacket.

Fierce Fox and I scaled over the spooky factory, as we couldn't go under it (like we would want to anyway). It took every ounce of my strength- well, mental strength, to hop over that factory. The crumbling bricks made my fear almost take over. I kept telling myself about home and freedom, which pulled me through. I also discovered that no matter how many noogies I give myself about being courageous, my old human fear is always there. Forever. At least I was able to wear a mask of heroism.

We found a metal pipe which is connected to the factory, a few footsteps above the sewage. It was blocked by a broad sheet of metal.

"I guess this is where the crowbar comes in." I humbly pointed out, clenching the crowbar in my thumb-less hands. I shoved the sharp end of the crowbar in the gap between the metal and furiously dragged it. It strained my muscles, and sweat poured down my cheeks, from both pressure and fear. But the lid popped off, and we were free to enter.

The inside is disgusting. The pipes are dark and stinky, full of growing mould and creaking metal platforms. Sewage water drips from the pipes, and everywhere around me I could hear faint echoes of machinery. I placed on a tough face.

"I think we head through..." I spoke up, cringing as I stepped forward. Fierce Fox had a quicker pace, so I forced mine to replicate hers, as we climbed up to the moving platforms. I stupidly missed one of them, so I slipped and fell into the gap between. The platform was right behind my head, ready to come up any second and smash it. Don't forget to mention that my fingers were frailing. Fierce Fox flipped around to assist me, but then I remembered what she said about me- Alice- and instead I swung myself up, landing stomach first on the platform. Fierce Fox sighed and continued.

Using my energy all over again, I caught up to her. She was facing the rats. Great. The brown creatures waddle across the mucky floor, squeaking like mad, their teeth poking out. Then I said something I almost regretted.

"Race you to the end!" I cried, my adrenaline about to explode. I, rather bravely, leaped into a little loop tunnel, over the rats. I somersaulted through that, my feet hitting the metal floor. I wanted to pause and rub my eyes, but I had no time. I didn't even care where Fierce Fox was. Instead, I bolted forward, coming to a section where it goes upwards. Bending my knees, I jumped-climbed, using my real bounding strength, like a real Poptropican. My heart raced; I was suddenly blinded by competitiveness. It was a new feeling.

Well, not really. Before I got my leg problem, I was very very competitive. I was obsessed with winning; the glory and the prize. Then my leg became an issue. My old, energetic attitude died, as well as the majority of my happiness. I didn't care about winning anymore. In fact, I always expected to come last. I didn't even try. I was too afraid that I'd do something bad if I tried again.

Now I had the chance to retrieve it, after all these years. And it felt great. My fear wasn't actually controlling me for once, and I truly felt free.

A smile gripped my face, as I suddenly sprung out of the sewer, into a new room. Right next to me is a green cube with three levers. I switched the middle one the full way down; the left one half; the right one half. An engine came to life, lighting up the room with a faceful of dust. A red, metal wheel began to turn, pulling a magnet through the air; it sprinkled embers down onto the floor. I noticed the piles and piles of wooden crates, all covered in ancient dust and a robot rabbit symbol.

"You came first!" Fierce Fox panted, as she collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. Exhausted! Now that's something I would never expect from her. I helped her to her feet, letting her eyes float over the room. "Huh.."

"Race you to the top?" Her eyes showed a blank, tired expression as my answer. "This is your chance to redeem yourself. Unless you're chicken..."

A fire suddenly erupted in Fierce Fox's eyes, burning the sleepiness. "No way! It's on!" I chuckled and sprinted up the boxes, using every ounce of energy I could find. I wasn't afraid anymore. I was enjoying myself. My feet shoved me off the boxes, Fierce Fox right by my side. She would've never believed that that was the same girl she had to drag around a few days before.

I climbed onto the magnet, floating across the sky, watching the flying embers. I got to the red and blue platform on the other side, which has the entrance to the vents. I peered inside the darkness and dust, not even my childhood fear scaring me now.

"Meet you in here, sucker!" I jeered, bolting inside the vent. A mysterious light seemed to flash in front of my eyes when I entered the vents. The metal felt cool against my skin; the fans blowing air sending a shiver up my spine. I hopped down, the fans' air slowing my pace, as I climbed through the vents. A visual map of the vents popped up in my head, directing me where to go. My pace began to pick up. Suddenly I remembered Fierce Fox, lost in the dark.

"Fierce Fox!" The fear was back as I called out. Where is she? Why did I leave her? She doesn't know where she's going! My muscles tensed, realizing the idiotic mistake I had made. Now I remembered why I gave up on my competitiveness. I always failed. I turned around, facing the pitch black of the vents, the fans blowing my hair. It's a funny thing, when you realize that one little thing is wrong with your happiness, and it all goes away... Replaced with horror. Pure horror.

"Brave Tiger! Where are you?" Fierce Fox sounded desperate.

"FIERCE FOX! HERE!" I cried out, pleading that she heard me. I could hear her frantic breathing and heavy footsteps, which relaxed yet disturbed me. Then I saw her silhouette and I held out my hand. She grabbed onto it, her sweaty palms drenching my hand. I pulled her over to join my side, leaping over the blowing fan. Then I bolted with her, furiously brushing past the fans and graffiti on the walls. We made our way through a section of ice, our hair flowing. After picking up a pair of wire cutters and exiting the vents, we finally arrived in a room stocked full of boxes.

"You okay, man?" I asked, as we stood on a platform towering above the boxes. Fierce Fox gave me a brief nod. Then it hit me. I just saved her. She had been saving me. Now I am the hero. I tried to not let the shock show on my face. "Maybe there's something down there..." We both leaped down, our feet making contact with the boxes. A floating rabbot head approached us, its eyes flashing red; it teleported us away.

A flash of light took us to a freezer. Everything in the room is covered in a layer of ice and frost, a single light beaming down at us. I eyed the security system.

"Hm..." I spoke up thoughtfully, leaping up to the little silver plate. I ripped it open, observing the mix of wires. Clutching my wire cutters, I cut them all up, their electricity flashing in my eyes.

"What..." Fierce Fox breathed, massaging her biceps.

"I think I disabled the security," I answered cluelessly. I jerked my head up to the floor above us, where an icy vent lay. "Let's go back to the vents.. No race this time."

Fierce Fox and I explored the vents again, me acting as dumbfounded as I could. I pretended to act unsure of where we were going, secretly leading us to the Printer Room. The Printer Room is full of machinery, metal pipes and whirring engines. Our first obstacle was three vertical pipes shooting out rabbot crates. Each one increased in length.

With a lot of trial and error- plus getting whacked in the back many times- we made it past those things. We headed down to the layer below, which has a metal floor; a huge, cube-shaped system printer and boxes full of carrots and documents. A girl was standing in front of the ocean-coloured printer, her eyes swirly and green, with a pair of metal rabbot ears on her head.

"Uh... Hello..." I spoke apprehensively to the girl. She stared at me, completely unfazed. Then I gasped. "Hey? What's that behind you?"

"Where?" she cried, flipping around. I reached a quick finger over and slammed an OFF button on her hat. She gasped, the green swirls vanishing. "Thank you for freeing me! There's something you should see," the girl headed over to a keyboard connected to the printer, typing away. A piece of paper printed out, with the words 'fuzzybunny'. I pretended to act shocked, as it flew into my inventory.

"Look at this!" I exclaimed at Fierce Fox, handing her the paper. Meanwhile, I faced the girl, who was gazing off into the distance. "Excuse me... Could I borrow that hat of yours?"

The rabbot hat sat in my inventory, as Fierce Fox and I left that room, entering the vents again. We headed towards the room where we got zapped by the rabbot. It was surprisingly fun, as we hopped around together, leaping over the fans like sisters.

"You're way more awesome than Alice, let me be honest," Fierce Fox commented, with a grin. "I thought you'd be another one like her... But no... You're so much better."

The guilt sat in the pit of my stomach like an anchor. I put on a fake grin. "Thanks."

Since I had deactivated the security, we were free to hop down into the room. I admired the piles of crates and whirring, electric machines in the background. Another girl was in front of me, wearing the same rabbot hat as the other girl.

"Look out behind you!" I yelled.

"Where?" the girl cried, frantically turning around. I clicked the OFF button on her rabbot ears. She didn't thank me, for some reason. So I eyed Fierce Fox.

"Could you do the boy other there?" I asked, jerking my head to the right, towards a Poptropican boy. She gave me a nod and replicated what I did with him. Then the two of us, side by side, bolted past containers full of colourful, poisonous liquids and crates full of deadly properties. Together, we faced the security camera, which is connected to a metal door. Since we were not authorized drones, we dropped down a hatch, into a totally different room.

There are bronze pipes connected to red, metal blocks. The whole room shook from steam pouring from miniature thermometers connected to the pipes. Fierce Fox and I trotted to the end of our metal block, where underneath, heated pieces of metal get smashed by cool metal pillars. I felt the old fear return, sending shivers up my spine. This, unlike the other places, was actually a chance to get injured. Not seriously, of course, but still harmful.

"Wanna race again?" I asked. I was originally going to ask if Fierce Fox wanted to check on her own, but that might've made me look too chicken. And that's something I didn't want.

"Really? Fine..." Fierce Fox chuckled, as the two of us bent our knees. We hopped off the metal, making contact with a conveyor belt. A piece of flattened metal skimmed past my feet. A sickening crash hit the conveyor belt, forcing me to make eye contact with the great pillar. It raised upwards again, giving me my chance. Gulping, I slid underneath it, just as it came smashing down.

Fierce Fox was right behind me, with a competitive grin. I flashed her one back, as I prepared to dodge the next pillar. We slid under the next one; it briefly grabbed my hair. Then there's a funnel shooting out lava-hot liquid. Avoiding crispy toes, I bunny-hopped (no pun intended) over the boiling substance. Then, at the end of the conveyor belt, I soared across to the other side of the original metal platform, finding a rabbot hat.

"Bet you!" I jeered, as Fierce Fox joined my side. She chuckled.

"Good job." she replied. Then I handed her the rabbot hat.

"It can be your prize, bro." I laughed. She rolled her eyes at me, plopping it on her head. I put the one in my inventory on my head, and we looked like twins.

"Where'd you get that one from?" Fierce Fox questioned, eyeing my hat.

"Found it up here with yours," I answered, as bold as I could. I gestured to an exit tube near us. "Foxes first?"

Fierce Fox grinned and disappeared up the tube. I shoved a piece of hair out of my eye, not noticing the black tar it left on my fingers- it was turning back to blonde- before following after her. We arrived back in the room full of crates.

Fierce Fox and I did a bit of exploring, before I 'accidentally' went under the security camera, where the authorized drones could go. The security camera scanned me, before opening the bolted metal doors. Fierce Fox quickly joined me, and we headed inside together.

The next room is stuffed full of crates, and robotic platforms are all over the place. Computers are in the corners, all connected to a giant, silver rabbot, with bright green eyes. Dr. Hare was in front of us, standing on one of the floating platforms.

"Why are you two standing around? Get to the computer and start the launch sequence! I'll be waiting in the cockpit. Now move it!" he commanded at us, before the platform took him away.

"Great. Where's the computer?" Fierce Fox grumbled. I gave her a shrug, pretending to share in her confusion.

"Let's just explore and see if we can find it." I suggested, bolting up to the rabbot's giant foot. I climbed onto it, feeling the heat. I leaped up to the red, glass elbow, then across the blue-grid belt, upwards onto the shoulder. Climbing past the great green eyes, I arrived on a platform on the right, facing a big computer. A hypnotized boy was there, so I smashed his rabbot ears off.

"You've got to stop Dr Hare!" he exclaimed, as Fierce Fox joined my side.

"How?" I asked, trying my hardest to sound desperate. I pulled the 'fuzzybunny' paper out of my pocket. "Could I use this?"

"Looks like a password..." Fierce Fox examined. I gasped.

"The computer! Of course!" I faced the computer, the screen turning ocean-blue. I typed the password in, as well as the command, 'launch rabbot', which was on a sticky note. The whole world seemed to grumble, as the roof screeched open. The rabbot flew out, fire shooting from the bottom. The computer screen transformed into a game, where I had to steer the rabbot. "Fierce Fox!" I cried, directing her to the screen. "I'm not sure what to do!"

"Me too!" Fierce Fox replied, grasping the control. She steered the rabbot all over the place, eventually hitting an asteroid that looked like it was from the original Mario games.

"Watch it, you fool!" Dr Hare scowled, his face appearing on-screen. Fierce Fox kept steering it wildly, again smashing into another asteroid. "What are you doing? You'll destroy my rabbot!"

"Keep destroying him! He'll be defeated!" I squealed excitedly, as Fierce Fox drove into another asteroid.

"You'll pay for this!" Dr Hare yelled, still furious. Fierce Fox ran into the final asteroid; the rabbot stopped in its tracks.

"AHH!" Dr Hare screamed, as the rabbot exploded. The little, pink pixely Dr Hare flew into the galaxy.

"You did it! Now, let's get out of here!" the boy cheered, as ropes dangled down from the ceiling.

"Well done, man." I congratulated Fierce Fox, shaking her hand.

"You too," she paused. "Are you coming back with me? Maybe we could go to the disco at the Hub. You're kind of fun, I'll be honest."

"Uh..." For once, I let fear tinge my voice. "Well... No... Sorry man, I have to stay here."

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I gulped. "I promised Charlie I would help set up her shop."

Fierce Fox smiled. "Well, we can both help her. The more the merrier, right?"

I glanced away. "She said she only wanted me."

"Really?" Fierce Fox groaned. I nodded reluctantly, swirling a piece of hair around my finger, more of the black coming out.

"It's what the voice wants," I said. I got out the carrot transporter, which I had picked up at the sewage pipes. "Let's go." I pressed the red button, and we disappeared in a flash of light.

We re-appeared back outside the factory, the sky now a brilliant blue. Fierce Fox was already dashing ahead, and I hurried myself to catch up with her. My hair was flowing in the wind, as I smiled and laughed, catching up with my supposed friend.

Fierce Fox was waiting in the town when I caught up.

"About time I beat you," she said, turning around to face me. "Anyway…" she stopped, her voice cracking.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes narrowed.

"Your hair... It's... gone blonde..." She jabbed a finger at my hair. Horrified, I picked up a strand. It was indeed blonde. The black had leaked out like water, so it looked really fake. Fierce Fox scowled. "You're not really called Brave Tiger, are you?"

"Um..." My stomach lurched. No... This can't be happening! "I..."

"Alice..." Fierce Fox's breathing was picking up. I gulped, not sure what to say. "You... You... LIED! YOU LIED! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE BUT YOU WERE ALWAYS THERE! YOU TRICKED ME!"

All I could do was sit there like a guilty child. It was true... I wish I could say the truth... But she'd never listen..

Fierce Fox bared her teeth. "You... WHY?! I TOLD YOU TO GO AWAY! YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT NOW!"

Then I found the confidence. "Why?" I asked. "You have no reason. I was only tricking you because I wanted to leave before I could deal with you anymore. But you hate me, and presumably wouldn't cooperate, so I disguised myself. So we could enjoy each other's company. And you know what? I can't stop coming here. I can only leave when we complete an island together."

"What are you saying?!" Fierce Fox scowled, as I leaned back.

"Fierce Fox, if I ever want to go home- and leave you alone- then you have to beat an island." I continued. Fierce Fox glared at me.

"Stop lying!" she cried, covering her ears as if I was screaming.

"No. Because I'm not lying," I said. "Back in my world, I have a serious leg injury, that ruins my life. Everyday I'm bullied, harassed and teased. It just feels like Hell. The only thing I have is this computer game, Poptropica. I find so much joy in playing it, completing all the islands, with you. It makes me forget all about my leg, my fears, everything. One day I got sucked into the game, where I met you and Amelia. Since I already knew how to complete that island, I told you what to do. Then you started hating me, and you finally lost it in Time Tangled, so I attempted to never return to Poptropica, so you wouldn't have to put up with me. It didn't work, and I learnt that I can't stop coming. The only way I can leave is if we complete islands,"

I continued, "So I disguised myself as Brave Tiger, so we could complete this island and I could leave. This isn't how I wanted it to happen. Being in Poptropica has been my dream since I was small... I always get so jealous, watching you have all those adventures. And when I came here at last, I wanted to do that too, but I was a coward; I was afraid that I'd fail again. Just like in real life. When I was disguised as Brave Tiger, it felt like I was someone else; I had to be someone else, and that's when I truly had fun. But I should've known it wouldn't last. You hate me, just like everybody else does. I don't have a home after all; A place where I belong." I finished, watching Fierce Fox's expression change. She almost appeared sympathetic, but her brain was ticking behind her eyes.

I walked past her and chatted to the mayor.

"You saved the town!" he cried, handing me the medallion. I placed it in the shocked Fierce Fox's hands.

"Have some time to think about it." I said, as I vanished back to my world. Plopping on my bed, I immediately recognized the sharp pain from my leg. The morning birds were chirping noisily outside, forcing my eyes to flutter. I shook my head, apprehensively swinging my legs off my duvet. I hoped Fierce Fox would make the right choice.


	8. Super Power

T.P.P.O.V

Alice's mother was washing the dishes when her daughter limped down the stairs, her crutch under her arm. Alice climbed into a small, wooden chair, rubbing at some crust in her eye. Her mother placed a piece of buttered toast in front of her, the woman's eyes suddenly filling with concern.

"Alice? Did you sleep well? You look tired." she asked, as Alice picked up her toast. She crunched her teeth into the crust, the sound of eating filling the kitchen.

"Oh, it's fine," Alice said, after swallowing the food. "I just had a weird dream." Her mother raised an eyebrow, but seeing there was no other logical answer, shrugged it off and went back to scrubbing the pots. When her mother wasn't looking, Alice gave herself a private smile.

ALICE

I entered Poptropica again that night, landing on the all-familiar Home Island. I couldn't help but notice the hairs on my arms standing straight up. Today's island was far more dangerous than previous islands. I suddenly felt silly for thinking Monkey Wrench was bad. But for now, I didn't need to worry about Super Power Island. I needed to worry about Fierce Fox.

My poptropican was roaming around on the bridge as usual. I cautiously approached the bridge, as if I was approaching a tiger. A drop of sweat rolled down my cheek. No, I told myself. I need to. I cleared my throat.

"Uh... Hello..." I greeted apprehensively. Fierce Fox turned to me and her eyes widened.

"Alice..." she breathed, as if I was some sort of celebrity. She slowly and carefully trotted down the bridge. We faced each other for a few, anxious moments.

"So..." I began, scratching the back of my head. It felt like we were meeting for the first time. As if the past had never happened. "Uh... Can I come with you?" I kept feeling more and more awkward.

"I guess so." Fierce Fox replied, in an apathetic tone. Beats being angry, I thought. Without another word, we awkwardly climbed into her blimp, and she pulled up the rope.

"We're going this way," I pointed over the great Poptropican sea. We took off across that direction, peering down at distant islands. "So, what made you want me to come?" I hate my smart mouth.

"I'm not sure. Guess you had no other option." Fierce Fox answered, not emphasizing her tone. I sighed. The rest of the trip was in silence.

The blimp docked onto Super Power island, which is a little, cement city with terrorized people. Broken pieces of roof are everywhere, followed by the bold, yellow police tape. Straight in front of us is a comic shop, with a small, green and white, semi-circle rooftop sticking out the front. It has thick, stone walls and surprisingly clean glass windows.

"In here," I instructed; the two of us headed inside. There are shelves and shelves of comics, plus superhero posters on the wall. A nerd, Ned Noodlehead, is at the desk. He has french-fry marigold hair and huge glasses. Don't forget the sticking out teeth and pimples. "Do you have anything else apart from comic books?" I asked, like we had been talking for a while. Poptropican physics, everyone.

"I'm glad you asked! Check out this awesome handbook I wrote!" Ned Noodlehead exclaimed, shoving a proudly-made handbook into my hands; it disappeared into my inventory. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and gestured her to follow me outside, which she did. I led her into the shop next door, which is called 'Superhero Masks & capes'. It has a big mannequin head at the front, wearing a dark purple superhero costume. Inside's far nicer than the comic store; a lime, superhero-design wall paper and clean superhero costumes.

"Now," I said, getting Fierce Fox's attention. "Go and talk to him," I pointed to the man behind the counter. "He'll give you an I.D. Then, if you want, you can pick up a superhero costume."

"And what about you?" Fierce Fox asked, with her brow raised. I bit my lip. There were so many things I wanted to say... So many. But I could only say one.

"I'll be outside." I sighed, leaving the store. If I got an I.D card, then I would be a hero too... No... this is Fierce Fox's mission... Not mine... I'm just going to be there as assistance, no more. I've already been a bother to her for too long. Maybe it'd be better if I was the background character, not the star.

Fierce Fox came out, wearing the dark purple superhero suit. It has a cat-like mask and an indigo cape, which matches the t-shirt; that is crested with a diamond cat symbol. A silver belt was around her waist, and her pants were the dark purple colour.

"Nice costume," I observed, though in my opinion it looked ridiculous. But this was one person I didn't want to laugh at. "Swim across to the other side and talk to the lady about superheros. She'll give you anti-power handcuffs. Then talk to the old man and he'll give you super villain files so you know who you're up against and-"

"Wait," Fierce Fox interrupted me. I gulped. What was it this time? "Uh... So, what exactly are you doing? You seem to be letting me do everything."

I bit my lip. "Well, you said that I didn't do anything anyway. I just want to stay out of your way and let you complete the island."

Fierce Fox folded her arms across her chest. "I also said that I found that annoying. Which is true." I had to agree she had a point. Albeit I shook my head.

"No, you're the one that needs to complete the island. I'll just... Be your guide..." I replied, sadness entering my voice as I lingered my fingers together, starting to feel utterly useless. Fierce Fox gazed into my eyes for a few moments, before subtly narrowing her eyes.

"See you later." she said, leaping off to mentioned island, which has a big green meteorite. I bowed my head a little, tears threatening to come out. Now I felt more perplexed than ever. What was I to do? It felt just like in my world. Everyday I was confused, unsure of what to say and how to act, like something had shattered inside me. I hated it. I came to Poptropica to get away from that, but it always seemed to follow me. Fierce Fox suddenly re-appeared in front of my face, her inventory full of the items I asked her to retrieve.

"Okay, this way." I instructed blankly, my head slightly bent. Fierce Fox followed me through the rest of the main street. I barely noticed the buildings we passed, apart from the 'downtown' sign. The two of us eventually arrived in front of a bank. Cliché, it was being robbed. The windows are smashed, and the white cement statues have been destroyed.

"We're going in there, right?" Fierce Fox asked, eyeing the bank. I took a deep breath and released it shakily.

"Yes," I answered, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could dash in. "Well... I'll only come in if you want... I mean..."

Fierce Fox sighed and gently brushed my hand away. "I don't know where sad Alice came from, but she needs to leave. Remember when you were Brave Tiger?" My eyes lit up as I remembered the amount of fun I had. Maybe she was right... Maybe... A tiny, ever so tiny, smile appeared on my face.

"So you actually want me to come in with you?" I asked, starting to feel tingles in my skin. Did Fierce Fox really want me? Did she really think about what I said?

"Well, how else am I going to know what to do?" Fierce Fox joked, and we almost laughed together. I grabbed her shoulder again before she could rush in. She turned around and gave me a monotonous glance.

"We need to know who we're fighting!" I cried. "The villain in there is called Copy Cat. Hence the name, she can make copies of herself. When you go inside, she'll make tons of copies of herself and chuck a smoke bomb. We need to destroy all her copies and capture the original." I observed Fierce Fox's intrigued expression.

"Well, it'll be easier with the two of us, right?" she asked. I shrugged casually and this time, I let her enter, me following behind. The bank walls are a grey metal, with lots of wooden platforms hanging objects such as fans. To our left I heard a menacing cackle, belonging to Copy Cat. She was inside a broken vault, with piles of cash.

"I'll go and see Copy Cat," I whispered to Fierce Fox. "Go up to the top," I pointed to the layer above us. "That's where the money desk is. When you see her, ambush Copy Cat with the handcuffs."

"Got it." Fierce Fox whispered back, giving me a salute. Meanwhile, with the hairs on my arms sticking up, I trotted past the broken building parts, trying not to step on the glass shards. I climbed into the vault, where a fallen Copy Cat wickedly smirked. She wears a black and white prison uniform, and her skin's pale grey.

"You'll have to be quick to catch all of us!" she jeered; suddenly lots of Copy Cats ran out of her, dashing right past me. The original dropped a smoke bomb on the ground, which spurted out white smoke; the air felt thick and smoky. Coughing weakly, I escaped the vault, bending my knees and punching the first Copy Cat, who disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leaping quickly, I smashed my fist into another Copy Cat on the chandelier. I flung down like a bird, landing straight on a Copy Cat. I whacked the evil smile right off another Copy Cat on the bank counter. I was getting near an elevator. Using the pot plant on the wall, I side-hopped to the final chandelier, taking out the last Copy Cat.

By now the atmosphere was getting thicker and hotter. I smashed my fist- out of panic- on the elevator button, and I heard it whirring down to greet me. Climbing on board, getting uncomfortable nostalgia from Early Poptropica, the elevator slowly floated upwards. The air had dried my throat; I forced my coughs in. I arrived on the top floor, ignoring the white smoke. I smashed my way through the Copy Cats, the smoke in my hair and eyes, until I found the last one on the little wooden desk.

"You'll never defeat me!" she cried, making a fist. Suddenly, from behind her, Fierce Fox tackled her to the ground, forcing the anti-power handcuffs around her wrists. "How did you defeat me?" she panted.

Wheezing from the smoke, I breathed: "You're not the only one with a double act."

After Copy Cat was arrested (Fierce Fox got the credit), I led Fierce Fox to the next villain: Speeding Spike. She followed me into the disgusting subway, which has moldy, sea-green tiles and cockroaches everywhere. Graffiti is drenched all over the walls, and the stairs are crumbling. The one electric light is dimming, surrounded by moths. Trying our hardest to ignore these gross things, Fierce Fox and I stopped in front of the train- which is pretty gross, with graffiti all over the windows.

"In there is Speeding Spike," I explained, gesturing inside. "He's got the power to run super fast. He also has a bit of a temper problem and will try to strike you when you get near him. In the end, it gets the better of him. Since there are two of us," I couldn't help but grin. "We can make it even more frustrating for him."

The train's inside is divided into many different carriages; some parts are drenched in cleaning materials and graffiti. The seats aren't very appealing either, with the stuffing inside poking out. I felt the train clack along the tracks, vibrating the vehicle. To our very right, Speeding Spike's face had gone crimson and smoke was pouring out of his ears.

"This way," I ordered, gesturing Fierce Fox to follow. We headed forward- rather nervously if I say so myself. We eventually- avoiding the split water- got close enough to Speeding Spike for him to strike. He has a spiky, fluro-green Mohawk; stubble on his face; a black and white prisoner uniform; two golden, ringed earrings. I was in front, so he jumped right at me, causing pain- actual pain- to my body. But unlike human pain, it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Run forward!" I hastily whispered to Fierce Fox. I bent my knees and propelled upwards, leaping over the villain, while he chased after my partner. She ran too far away before he could get to her. I took a deep breath, heading to the dead end of the carriage. "Yoo hoo!" I cried, waving at Speeding Spike. With a furious expression, he charged towards me like an enraged bull. I winked at Fierce Fox; she dashed forward, appearing at the other end of my carriage.

"Hey!" she called out, just as Speeding Spike was about to strike me. He turned around and charged for her instead, when I cleared my throat.

"Hey slow-poke! Am I too fast for you?" I jeered, rather rudely. Speeding Spike gritted his teeth and dashed for me, head first.

"BETCHA CAN'T GET ME! WHAT ARE YOU, A SNAIL?" Fierce Fox, extremely powerfully, yelled at Speeding Spike, as she blew a raspberry. The villain appeared even more enraged than ever, and turned to Fierce Fox. Leaving my dead end, I bolted over to him and tapped his shoulder. While I did, Fierce Fox skyrocketed over his head. "I'M HERE, LOSER!" she cried, as Speeding Spike whacked me to the ground.

I got to my feet and rushed to Fierce Fox's original position, screaming insults at Speeding Spike while I ran. Soon, we were both constantly nagging him, causing him to get dizzy and super duper angry. Eventually, he got far too dizzy and fainted. Fierce Fox handcuffed him.

After Speeding Spike was shoved back in jail, I led Fierce Fox to the next baddie, who was Sir Rebral. He was at a far nicer place than the subway: The Park. There are lovely, stone statues everywhere; some are destroyed. Many flourishing, green trees are in the background, as well as city buildings. Someone sells hot dogs there, so I bought one before I forgot to.

"Are you hungry?" Fierce Fox asked, noticing my actions.

"You'll understand later," I answered, getting an unsure look from her. "Anyway," I pointed towards Sir Rebral, who was standing on a statue Poptropican's torso and below. "That's Sir Rebral. He's got telekinesis, so he's going to float boulders around and stuff. What you have to do is destroy those things floating around him in a circle. This won't be too hard, since yet again, there's two of us. It'll be harder for him to take us both on."

Bending my knees, I led Fierce Fox and myself towards the villain, who had a frustrated scowl on his face. He has metal-rimmed goggles with green lenses; a black and white striped prison uniform; spiky, marigold hair and beard, and many rocks and papers floating around him.

As soon as Sir Rebral saw us, he growled and chucked huge stone boulders. We split up, jumping out of the way.

"Run your separate ways!" I cried. "That'll trick him!" So we did just that. I hopped left, while Fierce Fox went right. Sir Rebral scowled and tried to aim the boulders at us, but we just kept switching positions and he couldn't keep up. I eventually did a humongous jump right up to his personal circle and knocked down one of the floating papers. His face turned crimson and he knocked me down onto the ground, where a platform of dirt smashed me into the floor. It didn't hurt, despite how violent it appeared.

While he did, Fierce Fox, using a fist, chipped away at his circle. Sir Rebral clenched his fists, placing his fingers on his temple and smashing her away with a boulder. Back with me, I climbed onto the roof of the bathroom, shoving down a boulder from one of the statues. It landed right by my side, launching upwards towards Sir Rebral as he tried to manipulate a patch of grassland beneath my feet. It knocked him straight in the leg, bringing him crashing to the ground. Fierce Fox handcuffed him, saving the day. Three villains down, three to go, I thought.

After arresting Sir Rebral, Fierce Fox and I headed to the Junkyard, where the next villain- Crusher- was. The junkyard is a huge mix of rusty metal squashed into a forced field, all held together by a wooden fence. Everywhere I looked there is junk, trash... And more junk. The ground shook as Fierce Fox and I entered the junkyard.

"Crusher..." I mumbled, apprehensively peering upwards at the villain. "That guy has super strength, as you can sort of tell. What we need to do is climb up this big, yellow crane and get to the top so we can drop things on him." I paused. "We'll both head to the top; one will stay out of sight, while the other will drop the fridge on Crusher."

"I volunteer to drop the fridge on him." Fierce Fox declared, raising her hand. I released a little chuckle.

"Thank goodness... Because... Something happens to you once you do that... No spoilers," I said, and we both faintly grinned at each other. "Okay, let's go!" I led her to the end of the fence and climbed onto an old, ruined couch. Fierce Fox followed me, as we jumped from ruined item to ruined item.

Then I let out a high-pitched scream. "Watch out for the tire!" I cried, as a monster-truck tire flew straight towards us. I flopped onto my stomach, the tire briefly passing over my head. Fierce Fox, however, got hit. "I'll meet you up there!" I yelled down at her, as I prepared to jump again.

Crusher was glaring straight at me, with an oil canister gripped in his fingers, standing on an old car. I let out a faint, terrified squeal, as I spiraled into the air in cool slow motion, the oil canister right beneath my legs. Landing on the other side of Crusher, I latched my arm around the bottom of the metal, faint yellow crane. I pulled myself onto the first diamond-shape stretch of the crane, leaping up to the next one. Crusher kept chucking oil canisters at me, which I thankfully managed to avoid (my inner human assisted me a bit). Fierce Fox was struggling a bit, however.

"You can do it, Fierce Fox!" I encouraged from the top, feeling like a worthy teammate. Strange. I had never felt that way before. Eventually Fierce Fox got to the top, my encouraging hopefully useful. I smiled proudly at her. "Nice job! Now, go in there and turn the magnet control off." I gestured to the little yellow office, on the crane. Fierce Fox entered the office, while I snuck behind it, where Crusher wouldn't see me. Sure enough, I heard the fridge drop and Fierce Fox get slammed by the fridge being thrown back. Sneakily, I crept into the office, grasping my fingers on the 'magnet control' lever. I pulled it.

A piece of metal that Crusher was standing on was dragged up by the magnet, crushing him against the magnet, until he was as thin as paper. I peered down from the crane, watching Fierce Fox tie him up.

"Who's the Crusher now?" I mumbled to myself, with a smirk.

The next villain was Rat Man. Unfortunately for us, we had to go into the public bathroom, near where Sir Rebral was. I was extremely thankful that we were both girls, or things would've been awkward. We headed into the disgusting toilet- description not needed- and down a sewer in the middle of the room. I thought it was very rude how Rat Man entered the ladies' toilets, but oh well.

Anyway, the sewer is covered with grime, silt and rusty pipes. Right in front of us are dirty brick steps covered with cement slabs. Beneath the two steps is a lake of filthy, sewer water.

"Remind me to have a shower." I cringed, stepping to the edge of the second step. Thank goodness there are a few floating crates in front of me. I hopped to each one, bobbing gently.

Fierce Fox followed closely behind me, until I reached a crate where a red hydrant wheel is. I turned it, and the water level dropped a few feet. I pointed to another red hydrant wheel, on another set of brick steps.

"Can you pull that wheel?" I asked Fierce Fox. She nodded, jumping athletically over to the wheel on the other side. She tugged it, and once again, the water level raised. The crate I was standing on was on the right level with another hydrant wheel. Gripping and pulling it, the water level raised once more. "HERE!" I called, my voice straining as I eyed Fierce Fox.

She strongly swam across the disgusting water. I faced such water, a silver pipe blocking my entrance to the next room. I sighed in disgust, dipping my feet in the filth. Holding my breath, I shoved myself under the pipe, then reemerged on the other side.

Thanks to Poptropican physics, all the water cleared off my body as quickly as it came. Fierce Fox joined my side, and we headed into the next room, which is just as disgusting as its predecessor. There's grime all over the walls; platforms of rusty pipes; rats crawling all over the place. I resisted the urge to barf.

"You found me?! Well, let's see how you like my little friends!" someone cried. It was Rat Man. He has scruffy brown hair and a beard; the black and white prison uniform; like the other villains, a furious scowl; flies flying around him. Fierce Fox gave me an unusual glance.

"Rat Man," I explained. "He has the power to control rats... Which is probably the most boring power out of all of them. What we have to do is avoid the rats and get up there," I pointed to another hydrant wheel. "Once we do, his fly friends will come after us. They sting, unfortunately. Since there are two of us, it'll be a hundred times easier. I'll turn the hydrant wheel and you can handcuff Rat Man."

"Got it." Fierce Fox nodded. I gulped, the hairs on my arms standing up. Taking a deep breath, I leaped to the first pipe platform. A chocolate-brown, hypnotized rat bared its fangs at me. I leaped out of its way, to the next platform. Another rat is there and bumped into my foot. I screamed as it knocked me off.

My fingers, however, quickly gripped the platform; I flung myself upwards, landing on the final rat platform. The hydrant wheel is just above me. I bent my knees, spiraling upwards and grabbing it. I pulled it, and sewage knocked Rat Man out. His flies, with dangerous stingers, came right for me.

However, before they could, Fierce Fox handcuffed Rat Man. The relief.

"That's five villains," I said, once he was in jail. "One to go." Fierce Fox and I returned to the main street, sharing smirks.

"I never thought I'd say this, but we make a pretty good team. Whoever this last villain is, they have no chance." Fierce Fox said, grinning proudly. I suddenly remembered who the last villain was.

"Oh... about that..." I began, suddenly going quiet and shy. "Well... We get a superpower for this battle."

"Awesome!" Fierce Fox exclaimed, jumping for joy. I took a deep breath.

"Well, the thing is... only one of us can get the power... I think..." I replied, feeling guilt sit at the pit of my stomach. Fierce Fox didn't reply, but I could see she looked a little depressed. I sighed and led her to a silver telephone box, which is next to the news building. The phone inside rung loudly. "Go inside," I instructed. "And you'll get the superpower."

"What about you?" Fierce Fox asked, hands on hips.

I bowed my head. "Well, I guess I'll just tell you what to do..."

Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I took a deep breath. "Fierce Fox, this is your island and your mission, not mine. You're the one who's going to win the medallion. Like I said, I'm just your assistant."

Fierce Fox didn't seem like she believed me. "The only reason we're on this island is because of you, Alice. You said that completing this island lets you go back to... Your 'world'. The medallion's not just an achievement. It's your path back home. And heck, I wouldn't have been able to beat those guys without you. If anything, you deserve the medal. Well, mostly."

I smiled. "Who are you and what have you done with Fierce Fox?"

"Just go..." Fierce Fox said, pushing me into the telephone box. I was about to pick up the phone, when I stared at Fierce Fox one more time.

"Are you sure you want me to have it?" I asked. I felt rather guilty. "I don't think I can just-"

"I've been credited for all the islands we've been on. I think it's your time to shine. Don't give me that look. You've raced me before. This superpower will be a breeze." Fierce Fox insisted, with a grin. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone. Suddenly, the whole world felt... weird. It felt like waves of power were entering my body, and my genetics were changing. My skin felt lighter, and my whole body glowed a bright yellow. I walked out of the telephone booth, feeling as light as a feather.

Fierce Fox gave me a salute. "Good luck!" she bid, before heading over somewhere else.

"Now..." I muttered to myself. "How do I fly?" I bent my knees and jumped, hovering in mid-air for a few moments. Then I dropped to the ground, although my feet were about an inch or two above the cement. Um... How on Earth do I move upwards? I pictured people flying, gliding through the air. I bent my knees, as if I was going to jump, then sprang into the air. It worked.

I soared into the sky like a bullet, my legs dangling behind. I kept going diagonally right, which I didn't want. "How do I stop?!" I grumbled to myself. I wasn't a very good flyer. I wiggled my legs, which made me look like a belly dancer. So helpful. I bent my legs left, and flew straight left. Okay... I straightened my legs out; I soared upwards. Far too much. Screw this, I'm walking. I crash landed on the floor, thankfully not getting hurt. I got to my feet, never more happy to just be able to walk.

I headed past the bank to the next tall building, which is an office apartment. I glanced at the thick, stone concrete building, with many glass windows. "Great..." I muttered, knowing I was going to have to fly again. I bent my legs and straightened them, heading directly into the sky like a bullet. I was beginning to regret accepting the superpower.

I sighed, pausing on someone's balcony. Right, if I move my legs left, I go left. Same for right. If I bend my knees I fall down... If I straighten them I go up. Depending on how much I move them, I'll move a certain speed. I glanced at the top of the apartment building.

"Up!" I cried, straightening my legs. I took off once more. Once I arrived on the roof, I rested my hand against the diamond shaped point. Flying wasn't easy. Then, from on top of the antenna, I heard a menacing cackle.

"Well well well..." the cackle's owner hissed. "If it isn't Alice! I've heard all about you."

I shivered, staring up at Betty Jetty. "What do you mean, 'you've heard all about me'?"

She smirked. "Oh... Well, I know you're not really from Poptropica, are you?"

"What…?" I breathed, shivering. "How do you know that?!"

"A little birdie told me." Betty Jetty cackled, glaring down at me.

"Tell me who!" I cried, suddenly flying up towards her.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Betty Jetty chuckled, dashing into the blue sky. I flew after her, and it became a chase. We soared through the air, as the foe chucked sharp, green slime balls at me. I avoided them, mainly out of fear and desperation to know what she meant. Betty Jetty continued to chuck the green balls at me, narrowly missing my face. I approached her body, trying to reach out and grab her.

Betty Jetty chucked a huge green ball at my chest, and I fell backwards. I still did not fall, however. I clenched my fists and kept going, flying above her. Betty Jetty chucked a few green ball boomerangs, growling. I avoided them and instead jumped on her body, and we both smashed into the roof of the apartments.

"Tell me who!" I scowled again.

"You'll never find out!" Betty Jetty laughed, cackling at my face. "And you'll never stop me- or what's coming for you!" She was suddenly hit in the back by someone.

"Fierce Fox!" I gasped.

"Your, uh, assistant has arrived!" Fierce Fox declared, making a triumphant fist. She handcuffed Betty Jetty, so she got the credit.

While we were heading to get the medallion, Fierce Fox asked me a few questions.

"So... What did she mean by 'what's coming for you'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to, either. But whatever it means, it can't be good." I replied.

"Is it something to do with your world?" Fierce Fox asked.

"I'm not sure..." I replied truthfully.

"What's your world like, anyway?"

"Well... it's really different from here. Ever heard of humans?" Fierce Fox shook her head. "Well, they're like Poptropicans... But taller and they have thumbs. There's more, of course, but I can't really go into details. Maybe I'll bring a picture. Anyway, my world's way more dangerous than this one. I mean, some of things you do here would be considered outright deadly in my world."

"Oh... I see..." Fierce Fox said. "Explains why you're cautious, then."

I chuckled. "Yeah, it does," I patted her on the shoulder. "Well, go and get your medallion. I'll see you later. Oh, and have this hot dog. It was meant for Ned Noodlehead, but you sort of took his place."

"Uh... Thanks and bye!" Fierce Fox cried, dashing off to the prison with the hot dog. My expression was positive, but inside I wasn't. Betty Jetty's words kept forming in my head. Something was coming for me, and I knew it wasn't good.


	9. Spy

I spent the entire night and day thinking non-stop about Betty Jetty's words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ended up writing predictions instead of taking notes for my maths test. My maths teacher wasn't very happy.

As soon as I arrived home, I dashed upstairs (well, I couldn't really dash; I had a crutch) and headed into my room. I flopped onto my soft bed, reaching my hand under my desk. My silver laptop felt smooth beneath my fingertips as I pulled it out. I turned it on, the bright screen illuminating the room. I quickly opened Google Chrome and clicked on Poptropica, via the 'recently visited' page.

I was about to log in as Fierce Fox, when I hesitated. Maybe she's not the best to use right now. Instead, I pressed 'new player' and made a random, new account. It was then I began to wonder what happened to new Poptropicans when their creators didn't make an account. I almost didn't want to know.

My new little Poptropican poofed onto Home Island, where she was greeted by Amelia. I skipped over the dialogue and climbed into my blimp. I flew straight to Super Power Island.

I completed the island again, which felt surprisingly odd. It was how I used to play… Watching the danger rather than experiencing it. At the end, with the flying chase, I was convinced everything was totally normal. At least I thought. At the very end, right when Betty Jetty was captured, a note dropped out of her pocket. I couldn't pick it up for an unidentified reason. However, I saw two words:

Capture Alice.

Fierce Fox and I arrived on Spy Island, via her blimp. Spy Island is a modern island, with many metal buildings and whirring machines. The sky is black with shining stars and clouds, while the ground is thick metal. Fierce Fox and I landed on a semi-sphere shaped barber, and slipped off a lamp post. I led the two of us to Headquarters, which is a gigantic metal building.

Inside is completely silver, like every spy's dream come true. Metal platforms are everywhere, connected with wires and futuristic gadgets. I peered upwards, knowing that we would have to jump up there. A lot of my fear for jumping had been conquered, though I still felt a tad. But it wasn't really all for the jumping. It was for what was up there.

"Up there is Director D," I explained to Fierce Fox. "Believe it or not, he's actually the main antagonist for this island. He's just pretending to be good. And he has a little secret- he's bald. He wants to make everyone else bald so they feel his 'pain'."

"Should we attack him?" Fierce Fox asked, making a fist.

I shook my head. "Not yet. We need to talk to him and he'll give us spy information. Then we need to go and complete the island." I bent my knees, my legs leaving the shiny floor. Fierce Fox followed me as we leaped to the top, where Director D was. He was standing in front of a large computer screen, showing images of diagrams. His eyes would not leave me as we stood in front of him. A little smirk appeared on his face.

"I'm Director D. Head of the Secret Operations." Director D introduced himself, his gaze not leaving me.

"Do you have anything for us?" I asked, the words feeling right. It just felt like... I was meant to say them.

"You'll need this decoder kit to decode messages from other agents." Director D answered, handing me a decoding kit. The smile on his face was still there as we bid a brief goodbye.

"Let's go," I said to Fierce Fox, as we exited Headquarters. A nervous chill rushed up my spine. I was getting a bad feeling... I was so apprehensive that I almost smashed my face right into the Spyglass Eye wear store. Conveniently, it was the store we needed to enter. It has cream bricks, with a big mustache and glasses sticking out the front. "It's bigger on the inside." I pointed out. Fierce Fox seemed to agree.

Just like I pointed out, it's certainly bigger on the inside. The wallpaper is the mustache and glasses as prints, as well as many mannequins with glasses. A man with glasses was at the desk, with a pole gripped in his hand.

"Now," I spoke up, staring at Fierce Fox. "Go and do the eye test with him. When he points to one, do the opposite one facing it. So if he points to three, you point to E, and vice versa. Same with M and W. Once he does that, go outside and jump up to the building above this. The guy in there will give you the chameleon suit, which allows you to blend in with your surroundings." I finished. I suddenly realized there were TWO of us. Only one would be able to go on the mission!

As if she had read my thoughts, Fierce Fox asked, "What about you?"

I bit my lip. "I'm afraid you're going solo on this one. There's only one chameleon suit, which you will be using. I'll explain the rest of the mission to you once you've got the suit." I gestured to the man, and waddled outside. Of course, I felt a bit guilty letting Fierce Fox do everything on her own. But Poptropicans are supposed to do things on their own... Especially players. Besides, she's Fierce Fox... She'll survive. Come on Alice, be ambitious!

A little smile formed on my face. Of course, at that point in time, there were many questions in my head. Some full of concern and others full of curiosity. But even if I never got an answer, I knew it would all be okay... possibly. I hadn't been positive for such a long time because-

"Ehem." somebody cleared their throat. A pair of glowing eyes in the dark startled me. The eyes moved, revealing a Poptropican body.

"Oh! Fierce Fox!" I cried, suddenly realizing who it was.

"So, what now?" Fierce Fox asked. I grinned.

After explaining to Fierce Fox about sneaking into B.A.D's HQ to save a spy, I sneaked off the opposite direction to the B.A.D Bistro on Balding Avenue- note the foreshadowing. The B.A.D Bistro looks surprisingly innocent for a villain restaurant; a large bowl of spaghetti on the roof and glowing windows. Plus, me, a good guy, is totally allowed inside.

Inside has a similar appearance to a normal restaurant: pictures; checkered floor; tasty smells. I rushed past the wooden tables and the quad of villains, trying not to shiver. I headed straight into the kitchen, where the chef roams around, carrying a wooden spoon. The kitchen is very normal too: boiling pots; foods; a white layout.

"I'd like to apply for the job." I said to the chef.

"Excellent! There's just one test you'll need to pass," the chef replied. "A good chef must have a good memory." He pointed to a little table, which has a selection of cooking staples. "Watch carefully and remember the order of the ingredients." Using his spoon, he pointed to each cooking staple in a particular order. I watched very fiercely, straining my memory. Once he was finished, I replayed the scene in my head, pointing at the staples.

The chef started again, nudging each one gently with his spoon. I copied his exact movements, feeling awfully proud of my memory. I don't have the greatest memory in the world, after all. The chef did his final memory round; I completed that successfully. He grinned.

"Very good! You're hired!" the chef exclaimed, placing a chef hat on my head. I tapped it with my finger, expressing a small grin. My grin vanished when I realized what table I had to go to.

Reluctantly, I headed outside to the villains' table, where they were laughing and chatting. One of them looked at me, with a stern expression.

"Ah, chef. Fill up my glass." he ordered, handing me a wine glass with his fingerprint. I left before they could ask me anything else. I returned to the kitchen, although that wasn't the place I needed to be in. The place I needed to be in were the vents, so that's where I hopped into. I shoved my way through the dusty vents, surprisingly making no noise. I soon climbed out of the vents, then hopped from hanging light to hanging light. I jumped to the last one, but I accidentally fell off. Conveniently, the villains noticed me.

"Where are you going?" the one who asked me to fill his drink asked roughly. I felt a shiver up my spine. He got up and glared at me. Then, strangely, his expression softened. He whispered something to his mates, and they went back to doing whatever they were doing. I rushed out before they could change their mind.

What just happened?

Before I left to find Fierce Fox, I trotted up the sloped pathway to a spy hiding near some public plants. He wears a similar disguise you would find in the army. I tapped him on the shoulder; he stood straight up.

"I think this letter contains a hidden message, but I can't decode it." the spy explained, handing me File X. I nodded at him, then turned the other way; I needed to get Fierce Fox.

I found Fierce Fox at the B.A.D's dock. She was still wearing the chameleon suit, her large, rather spooky eyes blinking.

"You don't need to wear that anymore," I laughed. The outfit disappeared off Fierce Fox's body, going back to her original clothing. "Did you get all the items?" She nodded confidently. I grinned. "Great! Now we've got a bit of running to do."

The two of us ran through Spy Island, arriving at Toupee Terrace (yet again, not the foreshadowing). There is an old, red-brick house with dark glass windows. Yellow lasers are shining down on some platforms, hot as the sun. I bolted straight up to the house's first wall, then leaped up onto a little stone ledge.

Fierce Fox followed me. I gazed up at a window ledge, where a yellow laser was flashing down like a fan. I waited until it disappeared, then I leaped. The one in front of me was flashing, and soon it stopped. I jumped to that one, waiting for the next one to stop.

"Whoa!" Fierce Fox cried. She jumped behind me, trying to keep up. Suddenly, she was hit by a laser. I reached out my hand, grabbing hers and pulling her up. She then continued to follow me, through the rest of the laser-avoiding.

Finally, we achieved our goal and stood at the top. A little attic is in front of us: it has jail bars and the bright moon in the background. I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Can you get out the laser pen?" I asked. Fierce Fox listened and brought out the little metal tool. I fearfully turned it on, the red colour appearing awfully similar to blood. Facing the jail bars, tool equipped, I began to slice. The jail bars simply melted away like butter, revealing the attic's dark interior.

I climbed inside, avoiding all the dusty cobwebs and creaky, wooden floorboards. A man was in the corner, tied up. I rushed over and simply touched the rope as if I had superpowers. The man was instantly free, and he got to his feet.

"Free at last!" the man exclaimed. "I have something that will help you on your mission." He held out a grappling bow tie to me.

"And do you happen to have two of those?" I asked, not feeling very hopeful.

"Well, the Director did briefly mention that you had an acquaintance. Unfortunately I only have the one bow-tie on me." the man answered, with a little depression, handing me the grappling bow-tie.

"Is there something that can... Help my friend get into the air?" I asked, praying.

"Not that I know of. All our jetpacks are being used. Oh, and you'll need these." the man answered with a shrug, handing me some satellite clues. He rushed off before I could say another word. I sighed.

"Follow me," I said to Fierce Fox once we were back outside. She followed me all the way through town, until we stopped in Balding Avenue, near the spy wearing army gear. I pointed up at a pale pink building, knowing that was where we needed the bow tie. I bowed my head ever so slightly, debating with myself what to do. "Well... Again, only one of us can complete this part. They'll need this," I held out the grappling bow tie. "And the chameleon costume."

Fierce Fox smiled. "I can give you the-"

"No," I interrupted, holding up my hands. "Look, I got the superpower last time. This time, you get the 'superpower'." I placed the grappling bow tie in Fierce Fox's hands.

"Then... what are you going to do?" Fierce Fox asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell you what to do." I replied, knowing that wasn't the answer my Poptropican was looking for. You see, the real answer I wasn't quite sure of.

After explaining to Fierce Fox what to do and bidding her good luck, I found the agent dressed in army gear, laying down on his stomach. I sighed, knowing I needed to get worries off my chest.

"Excuse me," I asked. "Has... Director D said anything about a girl called Alice Manchester?"

"Uh..." the agent was thoughtful. "Well, I think one of his papers say 'Alice'... I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't know too much."

"Oh..." I said, bowing my head. "Do any of the other agents know anything?"

"Well, the guy who works in Spyglass Eye wear might." the agent answered, with a shrug. Hope suddenly flooded my body; maybe I was going to get on a lead!

I asked the guy in the Spyglass Eyewear shop.

"Well," he replied thoughtfully. "I did hear him mention something about a girl called Alice."

"What did he say about her? Did he say how he knows?" I asked, ambition entering my voice.

"Well, he said something about her not being from here. Then he said something like that she was a target for the villains." he paused. "A 'special doctor' apparently told him about her."

"A 'special doctor'...?" I repeated, feeling my skin shiver. "Anything else?" The man shook his head and started typing things on his computer, muttering things about being busy. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't squeeze anything else out of him.

I re-met with Fierce Fox underneath the pink building. She was wearing green, swirly goggles to detect hidden lasers. I gave a nod of approval at her work.

"Come," I instructed. "We have some more travelling to do." Again, we rushed through the town, non-stop. We passed the red brick house and came to a dirt hill, which has patches of grass. A wire fence is planted on top of it, with a hole ripped right in the middle. We climbed through, arriving in a new area. I turned to my partner. "Mind if I borrow those?" I pointed to her goggles. She took them off her head and handed them to me.

I slapped them around my own eyes, lasers suddenly visible everywhere I looked. "Follow me and be quick." A straight, red beam was directly in front of my face. I grasped Fierce Fox's wrist, just as it disappeared. I bolted underneath it, not loosening my grip. We performed the same strategy with the next laser, and the laser following it. It was rather stressful, yet thrilling. The hill we were running on sloped downwards, getting closer to Director D's headquarters. We were now on the side of the building, as we dodged more red-hot lasers. Fierce Fox's head almost got hit, but luckily, I managed to save her just in time.

Finally, the laser part finished and it was time for some platform jumping. Not much better. Ahead of us are many metal-built structures, embedded with yellow technology. A platform is right above us, which we couldn't reach.

"Put the grappling tie on," I ordered to Fierce Fox. The bow tie soon popped onto her collar. I gestured at the platform, then gripped her arm. "Take us up." Her bowtie extended to the higher platform, taking us with it. We were now free to roam around on the technology-filled roof. Well, not really; platforms needed to be jumped on. I leaped onto the first platform, Fierce Fox right behind me.

It gently slithered along, before meeting with another moving platform. We both jumped onto that one, and it moved upwards. The last platform has a large, metal, bolted door. I gripped the little wine cup in my hands and waved it over the scanner. The door opened.

Inside has even more lasers and platforms. Yellow technology is inside the walls, as well as glowing wires. We rushed up to a metal platform with a glowing, yellow top. Me in front, we hopped onto it, avoiding the lasers. We leaped to the one diagonal, then to the next diagonal. Above us is a computer, full of whirring buttons.

"That," I explained, once we got up. "Is how Director D will come to us." I pressed a button on the computer, capturing Fierce Fox in jail bars.

"Uh..." she glared at me through the jail bars.

"He'll let you out, don't worry." I assured Fierce Fox, with a smile. Director D, just as I expected, appeared in front of us.

"It's a good thing I made it here too!" he cried cheerfully, with a grin. "Now, let's see if we can get those teleporters working." Those teleporters would take us to space, if you're wondering.

"Uh... what about Fierce Fox?" I asked, pointing at the imprisoned Poptropican.

"Well... Only one Poptropican can come with me. And you're already free, so..." Director D nervously answered. I raised an eyebrow.

"You could at least free her." I protested, folding my arms. Fierce Fox was my Poptropican, after all.

"Just get the teleporter working and I'm sure she'll be free!" Director D cried back, obviously trying not to sound panic-struck. I sighed and whipped around to the computer, typing in the three passcodes: LASER, HAIR, REMOVAL. The computer buzzed, telling me, 'the teleporter is online'.

"It's working at last! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Director D cackled evilly. He glanced at me. "Ladies first?"

"What?" I questioned, shaking my head at the sudden confusion. Was I part of the plan? "What's going on?"

"Shouldn't you know that, Miss Manchester?" Director D replied, with a wicked smirk. I gasped. How does he know my surname? He leaped into the teleporter. Blinded by my curiosity, I followed him, not even gazing back at Fierce Fox.

I found Director D standing in front of a oddly-shaped piece of technology. He grinned darkly and chucked his toupee off, pressing his hand against his machine.

"Tell me how you know all this! Tell me who told you!" I demanded, my fingers clenching to fists.

"That would ruin the surprise!" Director D cackled. "All I'll say is you may or may not know them. Ever since they told me about you, I've been dying to meet you! So have my fellow villains. I even told them not to bother you until you see me! But back to you. I know that you know what will happen next! And apparently I'm going to be defeated, right?"

I nodded, feeling sweat on the back of my neck.

"Well, not today! I'm changing things, ALICE!" Director D yelled, rushing off into his machine. Usually this is when a horde of mini-bots come out and try to zap me. But by the way the ground rumbled beneath my feet, I could tell it was going to be quite different.

A ginormous group of mini-bolts mashed together, their eyes glowing red. Their little shocking antennas stuck out as they formed a great creature; it reminded me of Godzilla. It had shocking, electric claws; a glowing, dirty yellow body; dark red eyes. Director D was inside those eyes, controlling the monster.

"Prepare to suffer!" he screamed, as the creature lifted its great foot. With my breath caught in my throat, I leaped out of the way, fear making me shake. How am I going to defeat this?! I thought. The creature tried to smash me with its claws, but I rolled out of the way. There has to be a way... If only Fierce Fox was here...

I bent my knees and spiraled into the air, the lack of gravity allowing me to jump a little higher- we were in space, after all. The creation attempted to reach out for me again, with its deadly claws. However, I just kept jumping out of the way, like the prey running from the predator.

"Stay still!" Director D growled from the head. Of course, I was far too scared- and smart- to stay still. Suddenly, I got an idea. I floated back down to the ground, feeling adrenaline and energy flow into my legs. Like an athlete, I rushed forward, the creature racing after me. I neared the wall, then suddenly back flipped away from it, as the creature smashed into it with a mighty roar of pain. It created a noisy, beeping sound, like a computer voice.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Director D screamed, as suddenly the monster began to split.

"There's too much pressure from all the robots pushed together!" I answered, thanking sweet sweet science. I heard another scream from the villain, when suddenly the whole robot exploded, covering my vision with pure white, as if I had died.

Director D was locked up, back in the Headquarters. An agent kindly freed Fierce Fox, who was rather grumpy. She wasn't so grumpy when the Poptropicans congratulated her- and me- and made us both secret agents.

"Thanks for saving us... And our hair!" laughed one of the agents, as he handed Fierce Fox the medallion. I grinned at her.

"Sorry for running off on you," I apologized, as my world started to brighten. "Well, I've got to go now. See you later!" My view became white, and I returned back home. My thrill rush began to die down as I heard the cries of the morning birds. It was replaced with fear. Fear for the future.


	10. Nabooti

THIRD PERSON

Alice walked through the crowd, oblivious to the noise. The crutch was still under her arm, while her arm other was carrying an assortment of books and papers. She was going to the library for some planning.

However, on her way to the library, for the first time in days, she spotted Chrissi and Louisa. They were whispering together behind some of the lockers. Alice raised her brow, though at the same time she felt tingles. Tingles of fear. What could they be planning? Alice, though curious, didn't want to be spotted. As quick as her crutch would take her, Alice rushed to the library.

She spend the entire fifty-minute period planning out the next few Poptropica islands. She started with Nabooti Island, which was the island she was supposed to enter that night. This was followed by Big Nate, then Astro Knights. Proud with her progress, Alice placed the plans into a book bag, just as the bell rung through the air, signalling the end of lunch.

ALICE

Fierce Fox and I arrived on Nabooti Island (which is based off the book from the series, Choose Your Own Adventure). We landed on a little treetop building, with a straw roof. Fierce Fox followed me as we approached the pale brown, planked door. It has an African-cultural mask on the front. I opened the door and went into the museum.

The room is made out of the light brown wood planks, held together by a bamboo frame. Every I looked there are African-style artifacts. I continued walking, dropping down to the lower level, which is a shade darker than the above. Fierce Fox continued to follow me as I rushed right.

Ahead of me, drenched in the sun, was a chocolate-brown, tall statue. It has an African-mask head, and 6 hexagons are displayed on the front, like a column. The bottom two have an orange and yellow jewel inside, shimmering in the pale light. A lady was standing in front of it. I approached her, gazing back and forth from the Statue of Nabooti.

"Why are most of the jewels missing?" I asked the lady.

"They've been lost to the ages. We've only managed to recover two of them." the lady replied, in a soothing voice. Her dark eyes widened slowly. "We are looking for an adventurer to recover the remaining jewels. Would you be interested?"

"Yes!" I answered, shooting a glance at Fierce Fox. "We're in!"

"Wonderful! Take this map to the pilot outside to begin your quest. Good luck!" the lady exclaimed, as a map flew into my inventory, beside my island plan. I nodded, then turned to Fierce Fox. We exited together.

"So..." my partner began, giving me a slightly perplexed glance. I chuckled.

"I better explain. So basically, we're travelling Africa- based off the country in my world- to find the jewels of Nabooti." I explained, with a smirk.

"Why? What are these Nabooti thingies anyway?" Fierce Fox asked, making a face.

"To help the people who live here. It's their tradition. Oh, and the jewels are part of the statue. They're pretty. I'll show you them when we see 'em," By now, we had made our way out of the museum, past the trading posts, and to a little old yellow plane, sort of like Amelia's. An African man was standing in front of it, ready to fly us. "Okay, let's get on the plane."

We climbed aboard, and an old-style map appeared in front of Fierce Fox's face. She raised her brow at me. I took the map into my own hands, noticing a little yellow plane zooming across the map. I controlled the plane, taking it to a little dot called 'Blue Nile Falls'.

We popped up onto a beautiful mountain setting. Around us is nature, and thick, grey platforms made out of stone burst from the ground, covered in grass. A waterfall, shimmering in the sunlight, is by the rock's side, trickling down into a river.

"It's just a short few jumps," I told Fierce Fox. "Jump up there and grab a blue flower. Then leap across and meet me over there." I pointed to a platform on the other side, which is connected by a flying fox-like rope. We split up, me jumping across the wondrous waterfall. The rocks were smooth, though not slippery.

After leaping across, I arrived on another platform. Above me are a few sticking-out rocks. I climbed up each one, feeling much more confident than I was 9 nights ago. I couldn't believe I was too scared to jump up one rock on Monkey Wrench Island.

On the top, a lady was standing in front of a yellow basket connected to the rope, farm animals surrounding her.

"Can you help me figure out how to get everything across?" she asked. A screen popped in front of my face, giving me a side view of the rope across to the other platform. I, with a little blue hand, picked up the chicken and placed it in the basket. I dragged it (and the lady) across to the other side. I continued with a pattern like this, figuring it out.

Eventually, I did it, and a white box with black text appeared in front of my face. It said, "You did it! Thank you! As a reward, I'm going to tell you a secret. There's a hidden cave behind the large bush on the right side of the waterfall." I nodded, then turned around, spotting Fierce Fox.

"You're just who I'm looking for!" I exclaimed. "Now..." I explained what to do; finding the purple jewel of Nabooti inside the cave.

The next location was the Mountains of The Moon. It's most certainly a mountain, with grass covering stone platforms.

"Stay here," I told Fierce Fox. "I've got this covered." She nodded, sticking near the plane.

Ahead of me is a small river, with an agitated goat. I raced over the goat and some trees, coming to a long, rock platform. A lady with a blue turban stands on it, right next to a prickly cactus.

"I'm collecting cactus figs, but there's one on that cliff I can't get to!" she cried to me. I rushed to such cliff, which has a cactus poking out on the top. A pink, strawberry-like fruit was on top, waiting to be picked. I climbed onto a rock, and leaped towards the fruit. I grabbed it and fell back down. Then I continued, hopping across a trickling waterfall.

I leaped up a few more platforms, avoiding some goats. Then I came to a rocky slope covered in ice, giving me horrid memories of climbing up Mt. Everest in Time Tangled Island. Don't forget to mention that boulders were falling down the slope.

After an adventure with hopping and dodging, I made it to the top platform. An old, African man stands in front of a dark cave, blocking the entrance. It was annoying because I needed to be in there.

"Life is lonely up here. Beat me at a game of mancala and I'll let you enter the cave!" the man said, bringing out a wooden board game. When I'd played the game with Fierce Fox, I had never been very good at it. It'd taken me a few good tries to complete it, sadly. I was not in the mood for that again. With intense eyes, I watched the man's pale orange stone hop across the screen.

Finally, after a nail-biting game… well, games, I won and the man let me enter. The inside of the cave is full of damp snow, rocky platforms, and pale sunlight. With my feet sliding along the platforms, I jumped across a chasm, avoiding an icicle. Ahead of me are a few narrow platforms.

Carefully, I leaped across each one, feeling shivers down my spine. I lunged for the final one, suddenly slipping off. I let out a faint scream, gripping the side with my fingers. The ice was cracking, and I could feel myself falling. It was over... Or was it? I furiously shoved my legs into the mountain and hoisted myself up, rolling onto the snow platform.

I banged right into the red Nabooti gem, never feeling more relief in my life. Then, I rolled to my side, near the edge. Now I really did have to fall down. I let myself fall off, landing in a heap of snow. I rushed underneath the great bottoms of the platforms, until I found a cell phone, near a skeleton. I felt even more relief.

The plane landed in the Kaya Forests. It's more of a flat area, the sky pitch-black with faint clouds. Ahead of us are many tents made out of grass and hay, with more African symbols. I leaped across the roofs of the tents, until I found a palm tree. Something gold was sticking out of it. I lunged up and snatched it; it was a gold nugget. I returned to Fierce Fox.

"Remember that blue flower you found?" I asked Fierce Fox. She nodded. I chucked her the gold nugget, watching it vanish into her inventory. "Okay, now it's time for you to do some trading."

After Fierce Fox finished trading the gold nugget for a camera and the flower for a turban, she came to pick me up and we flew to Giza. Giza is a mid-night time place of misty pyramids, stars and pale rocks. That was when I realized there was only one turban. Oh no. Only one of us could do this part. I gulped, feeling sweat prick my neck. I faced Fierce Fox, with a lump in my throat.

"Hand me the turban," I said, gesturing her. "Just that." She was suspicious, but handed me the turban anyway. I placed the turban over my eyes, covering my face in cloth. I ran up to the one of the guards who wears a turban, and wields a shovel.

"Oh good! An extra hand! You'll need a shovel." he said, handing me a shovel. I gave him a nod, and returned to my partner sticking around the plane.

"Take this." I ordered, giving her the shovel. I told her what to do, which involved more trading. When she asked me what I was doing, I said I was just doing some 'boring old exploring'. As guilty as lying makes me feel... I had to do it.

Feeling oddly lonely, I headed over to a shadowy tent at the end of the area. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed a number that was on the shovel, through memory. A phone buzzed inside a tent.

A guy outside heard it and grumbled, "Where did I put my phone?" He walked out of sight, searching for the device. I noticed the guards holding shovels run away before he could return. I placed my hand inside the guy's saddlebag, pulling out a cream-coloured sphere, or should I say, the moon stone.

I climbed to the top of the pyramid, or the Sphinx, where a little ring shines in the light. I placed the moon stone inside the ring; it shot down a beam and opened the pyramid. I jumped off the side, landing on my feet. With a mix of apprehension and determination, I entered.

Inside was a sandstone filled area, carved with Egyptian symbols. Above my head were large sections, with areas carved out, like lines. I ran underneath them, bumping into a stone board on the wall with more Egyptian symbols, which I needed to remember for future events. I continued, until I reached the end of my path, going into a new location. A stone was by my head, with a few sticks I needed to rotate in a correct fashion. I did so, setting them all in a perfect column.

I leaped onto the next platform- sorry, platforms, made out of aqua metal with golden imprints. The wall by my side was covered in more Egyptian symbols. It was just a little jump after that, and I was into the next section.

I hopped up a few sticking-out blocks, my feet crunching against the sandstone. I came to a little flat area, where some blocks with streaks were on a platform, hovering above the ground. I shoved all the blocks down, separating them. Following the encrypted pattern on the wall, I pushed the blocks into the correct positions. A creak boomed through the room, and a door lifted open. I entered it, going to yet another area.

Poles were at the opposite ends of each other. However, they appeared exactly the same, full of Egyptian symbols and a Poptropican Cleopatra. Red, stone platforms were above my head, with inscriptions of insects and other animals. I leaped up every platform, arriving at the very top, where a rope dangled down. As soon as I leaped off the last platform, it collapsed beneath my feet. I gripped tighter on the rope, hauling myself up.

The next room was still made out of sandstone, and had icons and things similar to the previous room. Next to the poles was a grand statue of the Poptropican Cleopatra, holding out her flat palms. I leaped onto one of them, then I soared right across. I landed on the other side, in front of an encrypted story, which seemed to be gods surrounding animal head jars. To my right was another Cleopatra statue, with more poles and treasure. In the middle, above the story, was a golden coffin. Each jar on Cleopatra's sides had an animal head: The Egyptian gods.

The first jar was the jackal (1). It was on a ledge, connected to one of the poles. On the pole was a lever. I pulled the lever, and the jar dropped down. It landed in Cleopatra's flat palm. Suddenly, out of their o-shaped mouths, the Cleopatras started to spit out sand. It poured like a waterfall, flooding the room. I gulped, feeling a little queasy and fearful.

Sweat started to drool down my neck and my back. Ignoring it, I hopped up to the ibis and pulled the lever beneath that. I could feel the sand shaking the floor. Shivering, I went underneath the monkey (or baboon). Now the sand was rising faster than before. I shoved the lever down, then rushed to the final jar, which was a human that had a frog-like appearance.

The sand, by my surprise- and horror- had reached my waist; I was swimming in it. It was raising faster and faster, burning my skin. Closing my eyes, I reached out and grabbed the lever. The sand stopped completely, thanks to the jars. I gazed upwards, staring at the coffin. The door was open. A mummy was inside. And that mummy had the blue Nabooti jewel.

I jumped up to the coffin and gently grabbed the blue jewel out of the mummy's clasped fingers. I felt relief rush through my body, as the gem vanished into my inventory. Then, something odd and unexpected happened. The whole room began to shake, as if there was an earthquake. I could feel the blocks breaking beneath my feet, and every hair on my body stand up. That's not supposed to happen! I thought worriedly, as the roof began to crack. I knew sticking around wasn't going to do any good.

With my life on the line, I sprinted out of the room, avoiding the falling rocks. The world around me was a blur, as I followed my photographic memory to help me escape. I heard things being smashed, and sand pouring like rain. I wanted to scream, cry and survive all at once. But above all I wanted to live.

Trying to blink the sand out in my huge eyes, I shoved through more falling rocks, feeling myself fall down a few levels. The rocks were bashing on my arms, though they didn't hurt at all. If I was on Earth, I'd already be dead. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glorious exit. It almost appeared golden. Maybe it was just me hallucinating. I don't know. Regardless, I charged towards it, like it was the gateway to heaven. And that's when I felt something pull me down.

If sand hadn't dried up my lungs, I would've screamed louder than when I found out my leg would be damaged for the rest of my life. However, as well as fear, I felt a rush of determination. I reached out my arm, and kicked my legs like a frog. The whatever-it-was continued to pull me, weakening my strength. But I kept trying, like I never had before. I faced the mysterious thing pulling me, which seemed to be some sort of shadowy Poptropican.

"You can't keep me here! You can't stop me!" I cried, suddenly feeling even more determination. It was like the messages I wanted to scream to those horrid bullies all those years ago... Though I never had the courage. Now it felt like I truly did. I kicked and struggled like a baby in water, freeing myself from that mysterious Poptropican. The exit was in sight.

I was puffed out, sweat pouring down my cheeks. Fierce Fox was boredly waiting by the plane, flicking her hair. I could tell she had a much more relaxed experience than me. She raised her brow when she saw my face.

"What the heck?" Fierce Fox questioned, with shock.

"Let's just go." I sighed, not really wishing to talk about the previous events. We climbed into the plane, the map appearing in front of my face. The little plane icon flew to a place called Safari.

Safari is a desert area, with the ground dried up like a prune. The sky is a pale blue, with puffy clouds bouncing against each other. I rushed past the straw tents and skidded in front of a jeep; it has faded animal prints and the words, 'Big Zeke's wild safari'. I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Wanna do some photography?" I asked, with a small grin.

"I've done trading, walking and flying over Africa. Sure, why not?" Fierce Fox replied lightly.

"Few. I'm tired out anyway," I giggled back in reply, though I felt fear from seeing that mysterious Poptropican. I explained what to do, while trying to ignore my foggy mind. I had actually wanted to participate in safari, but my nerves were so hyped up that all I wanted to do was sleep. Maybe I can ask mom for a day off, I thought, as Fierce Fox discussed with Big Zeke. I have lots of islands to plan anyway.

Before I knew it, Fierce Fox had completed the safari and earned the hard hat for the miner's cave. The plane flew to down to a little place called the Diamond Mines, which is indeed a gigantic brown mine. I decided to be more helpful this time 'round, by explaining to Fierce Fox what we needed to do and what was going to happen.

I knew the guards would tell me off since I wasn't wearing a hard hat, so Fierce Fox covered me as we ran past piles of brown coal. Moving conveyor belts are above us, pulling large rocks. I ran right to a machine, with a little dial.

"I'm going to turn this," I said to Fierce Fox. "Then I want you to run where I tell you to! Do what I told you to do!" I gazed at her expression. "I know... I hate splitting up... But we've been like this the whole island... And I have no hard hat. Besides, you'll be fine." I pulled the little dial, and a timer ticked. Fierce Fox bolted away like the wind. The mine workers noticed me and growled about my lack of a helmet. I sighed, trotting away before they could beat me up.

I sat on the plane's wing, near the driver. I thought about the crash back in the pyramid, and what had grabbed me. What- or who was that? I shivered at the thought. Could it be another player? No... usually Poptropicans work alone... Except for Fierce Fox and I. I mean, if I can enter, can someone else enter as well? In fact, how am I entering?

Then I thought of Chrissi and Louisa whispering. Did they have something to do with it? A vivid memory of Louisa threatening me popped into my head. Something's going on, I thought. I need to get to the bottom of this.

After Fierce Fox finished, we returned to Nabooti to give them the jewels. We headed inside the museum, the two of us together again. We rushed down to the bottom level, where we found the statue of Nabooti. The lady told us to order the gems in the correct position.

"I've got this." I said, stepping forward. Using the clues and my memory, I ordered the gems correctly, in a beautiful pattern. Suddenly, the statue's bright green eyes opened, and gears began to turn around the gems.

"Thank you, my friend. Now that my power crystals are restored, I can finally return home." it beamed, in a slow voice. Green sparks fizzed at the bottom, then like a rocket, the statue took off into the sky and out to space.

"Amazing! I would have never guessed that the jewels were of alien origin!" the lady exclaimed, with great joy. "Thank you for your help!" The Nabooti medallion appeared around Fierce Fox's neck, and my screen faded to white. I gave a small wave to my partner, though fear continued to brew in my belly.

I have a mystery to solve.


	11. Big Nate

Fierce Fox's magnificent blimp landed on Big Nate Island. The first thing I noticed was the art style. It's hand-drawn, monochromatic and oldish. Definitely not Poptropica style.

I held out my feet, landing on a wooden surface. Right next to me is an old, pale blue building with a dark blue, tiled roof, sitting on cement ground. I walked up to a boy, who has spiky, black hair and was standing near a bench. He wears a yellow t-shirt, with the top part highlighted in blue, stretching across the tips of his shoulders. He also has jean shorts and white sneakers. He was staring at me like I was some sort of god.

"I'm supposed to be on my way to school, but I'm hoping to find some clues about the capsule here on Main Street." The boy- Nate- explained, gazing at me with starry eyes. It made me feel a bit odd. Someone gave me a tap on the shoulder. That someone was Fierce Fox, giving me a 'what now?' look. I gestured her to follow me, and we entered the old building- the Pop In Shoppe.

Nate followed us inside, smiling at me. Not really paying attention to him, I hopped up a few red platforms to the attic. Only then did I take in the shop's surroundings- most things are very simple. They seem to be stripped from a comic book, like the rest of the island. The attic's kind of cosy, with a plump green couch and lots of junk surrounding it. I walked up to the couch and picked up a piece of illustrated paper on it- part of a Big Nate comic.

"What's that?" Fierce Fox asked, entering the attic.

"Part of a comic. There's more parts we need to find," I answered. "We can start by getting out of here." We exited the Pop Shoppe together. Fierce Fox faced me.

"Okay, so what's the deal with this island?" she asked.

"In a nutshell, we're doing a variety of activities to find a time capsule for Nate." I explained, with a small grin.

"Who's Nate?" Fierce Fox asked.

"The guy who wants to find the capsule and become rich. However, everyone else wants to fix the school," I said, with a chuckle. Then, I pointed to electric wires, which are high above our heads. "Go up there and find a piece of paper. Meanwhile, I've got some photography to do." Fierce Fox gave me a weird look. "Just go."

I headed to a little place called the Photo Studio. It's literally shaped as a camera: the lenses are the circular, blue doors. I opened them, entering a room which reminds me of the Tardis. The room's much bigger on the inside, and shaped like a box. The interior is yet again simple, with a small wooden desk; checker-designed wallpaper, and a yellow screen for taking photos. On one of the lights was a comic strip. Using my enhanced jump, I reached up and grabbed it.

After I exited, Fierce Fox and I bumped into each other.

I grinned. "Got it?" Fierce Fox nodded. "Great, now let's continue!" She followed me as we ran past the school (I could see why they wanted to fix it- it's a mess), and went into the playground. It sort of reminds me of school camp: a rock-climbing wall, monkey bars and etc. Above the great, grey climbing wall was yet another piece of flying paper.

"I'll take care of this one. Go to the lighthouse and catch the one there." I ordered. Fierce Fox nodded and rushed off. "WAIT!" I cried, before she was completely out of sight. "Don't forget to look through the telescope, get the comic on the roof- like I said- and pick up the flying picture, near the ladder." She nodded and left. I climbed the wooden frame, gazing at all the slides and monkey bars. Next to the peak of the climbing wall is a bridge, with coloured, plastic lumps. I ran up it, Nate following me with a grin.

"Hey there..." he said, in a dreamy tone. His face had a pale blush. I groaned, trying to ignore him following me like a stalker. Instead, I focused my attention on the illustrated paper flying around in the sky; I soared upwards and grabbed it. Just a few more pieces to go, I thought blithely.

I made my way down the playground, paying short attention to a trio of chatting girls. Underneath their feet was the capsule, but we weren't meant to know that yet. Grumbling, I exited the area, Nate finally retiring from creeping around behind me, though he kept waving. Fierce Fox came towards me, with a proud expression.

"Where next, know-it-all?" she asked, with a joking tone.

"Know-it-all says this way," I joked back. We returned to the crappy, red-brick school, which literally leans like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Wooden construction frames are on the sides, littered with wood planks and paint buckets. I jumped up the square-shaped wooden frame, reaching the top. There, through my bulging eyes, I saw the next comic piece. I snatched it up, then hopped back down to the ground. I faced Fierce Fox. "Ready for school?"

We pushed the old, frail wooden door of the school opne. The doorframe says, 'Knowledge', with a drawing of a lobster above it. Inside is quite run-down. The red and yellow tiled floor's cracked; pieces of the wall are missing; water's been spilled all over the floor and the P.A is hanging out by a wire.

"Whoa," I observed. "This makes my school look like a palace." I gave a little wink to Fierce Fox. Then, I climbed up the small, brown stairs to the busted P.A. A comic strip was hanging off the wire. I grabbed it, not receiving one electric shock. My feet landed on the second platform, in front of the door to the Science Lab (my favourite place in school, naturally). I gestured Fierce Fox inside.

The Science Lab is probably the most unharmed place in the entire school, although some of the blue and yellow floor tiles have been stripped up. The posters are pretty old-school. There's this one with a fish, going through stages until it becomes Nate. I trotted up to a little stove, which has a conical flask on it. Three test tubes are nearby, each separately full with the three infamous primary colours. I gestured Fierce Fox over to be my 'lab assistant'.

"Now," I instructed. "Pour 'bout a seventh of the yellow stuff into the conical flask." Fierce Fox picked up the test tube, and did such thing. I did likewise with the blue ingredients. Then I turned the little dial underneath on, heating up the concoction. It was fun! Science is awesome. The olive-green liquid began to smoke, bringing out the most revolting stanch.

"Wow! A stink bomb!" Nate exclaimed. "Now that's what I call a science project!" he smirked. "You're smart..."

"Definitely stinky..." I commented, thankful once the object vanished into my inventory. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Run to the end of this room and pick up another piece of the comic on the Solar System model," She nodded, and did such thing before I could blink. I grinned; she followed me out of the science lab and to the locker area. One of the orange, metal lockers- Nate's locker- was stuffed full of fruitless papers.

I held out my hand to Fierce Fox. "Comic pieces. All of them, please." she handed them over. With all the comic pieces in my clutches, I began to piece them together, like a puzzle. The white boxes around the separate comic strips had a code- more specifically, Nate's locker code.

Suddenly feeling slightly devilish, I faced Fierce Fox. "Would you like the honours?" I asked, gesturing to the locker. "Put these numbers in, column order: nine, three, zero, five." I took a few steps back while she did that, still grinning. Suddenly, Nate's locker flew open, and many papers bombarded Fierce Fox, sending her flying across the room. If it was a little while ago, I wouldn't have dared to laugh. I didn't care this time.

"Hilarious..." groaned the dazed Fierce Fox, as I giggled myself silly. I trotted up to the locker; in front of it was a pile- scratch that- mountain of papers. My hand reached in, like a scavenger, and pulled out the School Blueprint.

After Fierce Fox finished pulling paper out of her hair, we left the school and returned to the Photo Studio. However, instead of going right to the screen, we turned left where an old, fat guy stands. He's near a lime-green wallpaper; there's many photos on the walls. Behind him is a stand with a scuba diving costume.

"Ask him to trade that old photo you found at the lighthouse for the scuba diving costume," I said to Fierce Fox, letting her go in front of me. She did just that, making me surprisingly proud. The scuba gear floated into her inventory. I smirked. "Perfect. Let's go."

We headed inside the 'Krazy Komix' store (1), which is a parallelogram-shaped, orange building with huge doors, and an imprint of Nate's face. Inside's a variety of comics, pictures and information about the island. The first thing I noticed apart from the blinding colours was the teacher, who stands near a table of books. I approached him, and he said, "Holy cow, you found all the pieces of the comic! I'm glad I could finally see it!" I grinned at his reaction, although I expected it. "You can keep the comic, and here's a little something for all your hard work!" A packet of stale bubblegum flew into my inventory. I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Now make a choice," I offered, making her raise her eyebrows. "Detention or scuba diving?"

"I have the scuba thingy..." Fierce Fox replied.

"Good point," I said, my hands in my pockets. "This is what you need to do..."

I returned to the broken-down school, feeling a little guilty. I barely ever got in trouble- heck, the worst thing I had ever done was be a few minutes late to class. I had never been late before so I got a late pass, and it wasn't really trouble anyway because my leg was misbehaving. But I, Alice Manchester, have never been to detention. Ever. Until now.

I groaned, trying to get over destroying my innocence. But once you've destroyed it, there's no getting it back, a wary voice in my head warned. Sighing, I placed the stale gum in my mouth (which tasted blander than tofu) and reluctantly chewed. I blew a few bubbles, which is abnormal because I'm no good at blowing bubbles. A door was thrown open, and a grumpy teacher stormed out, glaring at me.

"I smell bubble gum! Get over here!" she commanded, her grey hair shining. As if they could move on their own, my legs carried me over to the detention room. It's a simple wooden room, with a few columns of desks, and a teacher's desk at the front. "No gum in school! And no talking in detention!" the teacher ordered, as I casually stood there. My inventory flew open, and I placed down the stink bomb, blocking my nostrils. "Eeewh! What is that awful smell?" the teacher cried, running out.

Perfect. I rushed past the teacher's desk, to a few seafoam-coloured drawers. Of course, they're not really drawers. I opened the bottom two, revealing a ladder. I slid down this ladder, which is broken at the bottom. The area I snuck into was as dark as night, covered in dust. I found a light switch, which enlightened the area. It's like a little garage, with many tools you'd use in the garden or on a car. I passed the tools, which are hung up on the lavender wallpaper.

A proper-looking boy stands at the end of the room, gazing at nothing. A bit creepy if you ask me. Anyway, I spotted a bronze bell clapper hanging from the ceiling. I reached out my fingers with a leap and grabbed it, watching it vanish into my inventory.

I left the crappy school and headed to the lighthouse. I prayed that Fierce Fox hadn't drowned and retrieved the items. Luckily, that was the case.

"So, what now?" Fierce Fox asked, as we stood near the grey rocks of the white and red lighthouse. Our feet were emerged in the water, near the Oyster Beds. I grinned at the jet skis floating nearby us.

"We're going to ride. Give me the keys." I said. Fierce Fox handed me the keys, and I climbed onto the rough rocks. I jumped onto the jet-ski, keys in hand. Suddenly, Nate appeared out of nowhere, with a competitive beam across his face.

"Whatever's out there, I'm going to get to it first!" he yelled, making his way over to the jet-skis. He smiled at me. "M'lady." Ignoring him, I flexed my arm out to Fierce Fox, pulling her on board.

"In your dreams!" I yelled back, a mild edge in my tone. "Come on, Fierce Fox. Let's beat this kiddy!" I shoved my hands onto the accelerator, Fierce Fox's arms around my waist. I felt awfully assertive, having an urge to 'beat this kiddy'. Then the race begun.

The jet ski raced through the water; such liquid sprayed everywhere. Random inanimate objects float ahead of us, bobbing gently. I swerved out the way of a fridge, Nate on our tail.

"Be my lookout, please!" I ordered to Fierce Fox, as more objects came into my view. I swiftly dodged them, although I had no idea how to drive a jet ski. Only then I realized, actually. It didn't matter, however, because we were still winning. I kept revving forwards, merely missing more items.

"LEFT!" Fierce Fox screamed, almost deafening me. I listened to her and drove left, avoiding a giant metal object. I grinned, knowing there was no way Nate would catch up to us now. Then, I heard Fierce Fox cry again, but it was too late. We smashed into a buoy.

I unluckily was flung off, my body landing into the water. Thankfully it was physically impossible for me to drown, but it would take a while to bring me back on board. Too long for Nate's tastes; his figure was in the distance. Fierce Fox gasped in horror.

I shook my head. "Go on ahead and get the map under the rocks. Use the seals to help you," I could hear Nate. "Go, now!" Although reluctant, Fierce Fox agreed and the jet-ski zoomed away. I sighed. See? I failed. Pride got me again...

Nate was in the process of dodging a buoy when he spotted me floating around. "What the heck are you doing in there... ma'am?" he asked, actually stopping to talk to me. A pale blush was splattered on his cheeks.

"I fell off." I answered.

"Oh! Are you okay?" Nate asked, with a lot of concern. Something's up with him, I thought. He held out his hand, like a gentleman. "I'll take you to the rock island, miss."

"Uh..." I paused, wondering what to answer. "No, my friend's coming to pick me up."

"Are you sure?" Nate questioned, still acting like a gentleman. "I'm more than happy to take you... Heh heh..."

"No, it's fine. Well, you've lost anyway. My friend has already found the map." I replied, with a shrug. Right on cue, Fierce Fox drove up behind me, ready to take me on board. Nate sighed in melancholy, as Fierce Fox grabbed me. I gave Nate a small wave as we drove to the shore.

As soon as the jet ski docked up against the grey rocks, I ordered Fierce Fox to use her lobster (from diving into the sea) to rotate the light at the top of the lighthouse. She did so; the brilliant white light shone on the school's bell. A seagull that had been nesting there squawked and flew away, leaving behind its nest.

Of course, we weren't going to the school just yet. There was something we- well, I- needed to take care of. And that was going to Nate's kid club, back in the playground. I had an idea, especially since learning something about Nate's feelings. I gave Fierce Fox the bell clapper and told her to go to the school bell and ring it. After that, I waltzed back to the playground; Nate followed me again.

I grinned sweetly, which made me feel sappy inside. Like mush. "Hello, Nate," I greeted, trying not to cringe. I'm not exactly girly, or the sweetest person. I usually don't attempt to find romance, because when you're like me, there's no hope. This can be a good thing at times, however. "Say... what are you doing?"

Nate tried to hide his blush. "H-hey, miss... Just hanging out... Like a cool kid..."

"Did I forget to introduce myself? My name is Alice," I replied, my voice like honey. "Say... you don't happen to have any peanut butter crackers, do you? I happen to be a little peckish."

"Oh... of course, Alice..." Nate chuckled back, his voice shaky. Just like that, he handed me a box of peanut butter crackers, which were way past their expiry date.

"Why thank you..." I smiled, in my silky voice. Oh, the wonders of manipulation.

"Uh... you wanna... Maybe come up to the club?" Nake offered, scratching the back of his head. Suddenly, a noisy bell boomed through the area: the school bell. The girls, who were chatting nearby, moved away swiftly. I trotted over to where they were standing, opening the box of peanut crackers. I pulled out one of the expired crackers, placing it on the floor.

"Here, boy!" I called, tapping my foot. A pale red dog, with an Elizabeth collar around his neck showed up, picking up the cracker in his jaws. He dug a spot underneath it, revealing some sort of grey box. I picked up the grey box, which is covered in stains. It's pretty old. My finger flicked up the lock. A shimmer in the box caught my eye.

Nate grinned. "Wow, look at the pearl! That must be worth a fortune! Hey... maybe we can sell it and... Split the money!" he suggested, blushing. I nodded vigorously in agreement (though I was doing it to tease him). Then Nate's other crush- Penny- arrived, grinning at the pearl.

"Nate, you found the treasure! Now you can save the school! You're a hero!" she cried blissfully.

Nate's eyes scanned the both of us, romantically overwhelmed. He could tell we wanted different things. That can be frustrating. "Uh... Just... save the school! Yeah, that was my plan all along!" he blurted out, trying not to sweat. Still overwhelmed, he leaped into a nearby bush, leaving the pearl with Penny and I.

"Thanks to you, the school can remain open." The detention teacher congratulated Fierce Fox, who had returned (of course).

"Uh... and why exactly is that a good thing?" Nate asked in the background, peeking out from the bush. He stared at me. "Oh, hey Alice... Sorry I couldn't split the money for you..." Suddenly, I began to fade, due to Fierce Fox earning the medallion. He screamed. "No! Alice! Don't leave me; I love you!"

I chortled. "Maybe next time, Big Nate… Maybe next time." My screen turned white.


	12. Astro Knights

I wandered down the school halls, putting my mind off my leg as usual. I've had my leg problem since what feels like forever- plenty of time to get used to it. I opened my plastic grey locker, greeted to the same old books. I fished through a few stacks of paper, searching for one of my pencils. Then, I felt an awful shiver trickle down my spine. My hand froze in my locker, and my leg started to twitch.

Someone was behind me, and they were holding up a clenched fist. I noticed this mystery person was wearing a black, leather hoodie, so I couldn't see their face.

"Who are you?!" I gulped, feeling the hairs on my arms stand straight up. The person didn't reply, but furiously clamped a hand over my mouth, so I couldn't make a noise.

"I'm not telling you," they hissed, in a low, scratchy voice. "But what I do want to say is watch out- there is a lot coming for you Alice; some you may not be able to prepare for." Their hand lowered from my mouth, and they ran away into the crowds of chattering students.

Who was that? What's going on?

Fierce Fox and I arrived on Astro Knights, which is similar to something you'd see from the Medieval Ages. The background has many lush green mountains and trees, and the sun shines down. A stone-brick museum is ahead of me, and ahead of that is a rocket-shaped statue, with water coming out the exhaust. I rushed over to the rocket, standing on its platform. Something shiny was at my feet. It was a golden coin. I dipped my hand into the water, pulling it out.

I returned to Fierce Fox, and led her into the museum. It's the house of Mordred, or Binary Bard. There are plump, green chairs; tables with dusty books; cobwebs everywhere I turned. A guy with a purple hat and ginger beard stopped us from taking a single step.

"Admission is one gold coin. Come back when you can pay!" he said, snorting. "You can take this pamphlet, though." He handed me a pamphlet about the museum. I returned the favour by giving him the golden coin. He smirked. "Thank you. Feel free to look around." I nodded, then nudged Fierce Fox, pointing at an aged pile of books. She waddled over to it, holding out her thumb-less hand.

The man cleared his throat. "Sorry, the books must stay exactly as they are! I guess you can have this old library slip, though." He handed me an old library slip. I gestured Fierce Fox to follow me outside, which she did.

"Ready to visit the castle?" I asked, with a grin. "I'll explain the island on the way." Fierce Fox nodded, and we began our walk. "So, there's this guy called Mordred, or Binary Bard, who kidnapped the princess of the castle here, and took her to outer space. Our job is to rescue her, and we become knights. We also have to stop Mordred from taking over the galaxy."

"I see," Fierce Fox replied, as smoke twirled in the air. "Outer space? What, why? What's this Mordred guy's problem?"

I shrugged. "Mordred was banished from here a long time ago, and the princess joined a group loyal to him. Then the princess was abducted by aliens, who took her to Mordred."

Fierce Fox nodded. "Okay," she shifted her glance to ahead of us. "Is that where we're going?" The castle, or what's left of the castle stands there, shattered. Pieces of cobblestone litter the grass, smoke trails into the sky, and there's a flashing UFO crushed up on the floor. We opened the broken door, entering the castle. Inside is a bit better than outside, since the clean stairs are still intact, though crumbs of broken wall are lying around. I climbed a few flights of stairs, getting into the throne room, Fierce Fox behind me.

The throne room has parts of the wall missing; flags torn apart; smoke hovering gently. Fierce Fox and I approached the king and the queen, who stand near their grand and golden thrones. In the middle is a smaller throne, which I inferred belongs to the princess. The king and queen seemed blissful at our arrival.

"Ah," the queen gazed at me. "So you are the one that they are talking about."

I raised my brow. "Huh?"

The queen smiled gently. "It does not seem you know, but unfortunately I don't think I can tell you. Someone else must. But I will say that people are looking for you- both good and bad. Now, I believe you are after these?" She held out the space coordinates. I took them without a word, since shock had dried up my throat. Something's going on... But what? What does she mean, looking for me? I shook it off and politely thanked the queen. Fierce Fox followed me out of the room.

"What was that all about?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Heck I know," I sighed, shaking my head. "Come on, let's go to the library." We went down all the stairs, setting foot into the library. It's just as ruined as the other rooms: the wooden shelves destroyed and books scattered around like crumbs. We were standing on an elevated floor of the library. I hopped down, Fierce Fox following. An intact book was standing on a lectern. I grabbed it, then faced a bookshelf. My hand reached out, and pushed a brick. A flight of stairs opened underneath Fierce Fox and I. I told her to go down and grab a plate of moldy cheese.

The librarian, who was rather cross, called over some guards to guard the hole. Luckily, Fierce Fox and I got out of their way before they could do anything. Then I ordered my partner to go to the maid's room and get the mechanical mouse there, using her cheese.

Meanwhile, I left the castle, going to a field. Near there is a slightly disoriented mess, with a few burn marks from the extra terrestrial invasion. A man with acne and a brown hood stands in front of me. He handed me a bag of manure, which stunk almost as much as the stink bomb from Big Nate. I leaped over him, some haystacks, and a lush, green, grassy hill.

An ancient, tall windmill is near me, made out of cobblestone. Fierce Fox suddenly appeared behind me, ready for action. Like I had formerly told her, she'd given me a secret message from the maid's room.

"Go spin the windmill around a few times until the roof opens. When it does that, go into the roof and use this manure on the metal platform thingy," I ordered, handing my partner the disgusting manure. "I'm going inside." She hopped off. I spotted a ladder, near a great pool of mud, which makes the windmill hill feel like an island. On the top part of the ladder is a rope, which I grabbed. Then I headed inside the windmill. The floor is covered in hay; half the wall is cobblestone; the other half is yellow wallpaper. I jumped onto a wooden platform, where a gothic-style woman hangs out.

"Tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine!" the woman said merrily. The secret message flew into her inventory. She grinned. "I can see you are a member of the order. Here's the new password for the entrance." A scrap of paper plopped into my inventory. Then, I hopped away from her and to some large machinery. It's connected to a trigger: a long white rope. I pulled it down, knowing that it'd trigger something. After that, Fierce Fox and I met outside.

"Okay," I smirked. "I'm gonna let you see the princess' room. We'll need to go back to the castle." We did such thing, with a little jog. I gazed at the middle of the castle, which has a crossbow. I handed Fierce Fox my rope. "Use this on the crossbow and fire at her room." With a raised eyebrow, she did such thing. Then, we went our separate ways. (1)

I stood in front of the rocket statue. On its stand is a plate, with stone, cosmic symbols. I pressed them in the correct order, and it opened up a secret passage. I entered such passage; it's the headquarters for the Mordred fan club. It has a big statue of Mordred; many faded signs on the dirt walls; people dressed in purple cloaks. I approached the guy at the end of the cue.

"We found this key in Mordred's house, but we don't know what it goes to!" he cried. The key flew into my inventory- thankfully, I knew where it went. I exited the club and rushed back to the entrance of the castle. Fierce Fox, who saw me, trailed after me. I headed straight for the haystacks, near the guy that gave me the manure. When I finally got to them, I shoved them apart, revealing a hidden door. I used the key, which opened the door. Fierce Fox followed me inside.

It's no doubt Mordred's room, noting all the invention blueprints on the dirt walls. Plastic stars dangle from the sky, and paper is littered everywhere. On a little tree-stump birdhouse was a robotic owl- more specifically, Merlin. I tapped him with my index finger, causing him to flutter his mechanical wings, then fly into the sky and out of the room.

"Now," I faced Fierce Fox. "Use that mechanical mouse you have to catch him." I pointed upwards, which is where she headed. Meanwhile, I rushed to the back wall of the room and shoved it. It crumbled, then exploded like TNT, creating a little passage. Fierce Fox returned, after befriending Merlin. Then, her, Merlin and I crawled through the passage, which leads into the jail of the castle, which has dark, moldy bricks.

A robot was hanging around in there. It spotted us, its large, green eye flashing red. It self-destructed, launching a power rod to the other side. I told Fierce Fox to get Merlin to grab it for us, and then I left them.

I didn't stop running until I arrived back onto the mill hill. The platform thing- which Fierce Fox had activated and was formerly inside the mill's attic- was waiting near the ladder. I gazed at it, watching it gently hover. Questions struck my brain like bullets. I thought about what the queen and that mysterious person had said. I had a feeling it was all connected somehow... I just wanted to know what and why!

Fierce Fox, with Merlin behind her head, tapped my shoulder. I grinned and welcomed her onto the platform, like a gentlemen. Then, we rode together on the speedy platform, zooming over the mud. A UFO was laying in the mud, completely lifeless. I placed the power rod Fierce Fox had given me into the engine. Then, using the X and Y dials, I rotated them to the exact coordinates. The ship began to rumble.

For the first time in forever, I got to see the Poptropica planet... In real life, not on my laptop screen. Space is splendiferous; the sky a beautiful black; stars twinkle. Suddenly, the engine buzzed, and we were flung backwards onto the Pewter Moon.

"Dramatic entrance, check." I sighed, once we were on the moon. We climbed out, the UFO smoking. Despite being on the moon, we could breath quite well. The moon has... Well, a moon-like surface, inhabited by green-skinned people with alien antennae. There are large, metal structures in the background, and in the foreground. Ahead of us is another giant building, made out of metal, and where we needed to go.

I bent my knees and sprung into the air, almost flying. Then I remembered the lack of gravity- we were on the moon, after all. Fierce Fox bounded after me, like a rabbit on steroids. We entered the metal building, which sort of reminds me of a rocket. Inside is full of rocket parts and tools, hanging on a baby blue wallpaper. I approached the cashier, who is an alien.

"Welcome to AstroZone! How can I help you?" he asked, in a joyful tone.

"How can we get off this planet?" I asked.

"Tell you what... Leave me your ship for scrap, and you can build a new one on the holopad." the cashier replied.

"Great! Thanks!" I said, then left the shop, Fierce Fox following me. I glanced at her sympathetically, knowing she wasn't having much of a turn. "Hey, you can design the ship if you want," I led her to the holopad, which is a giant metal pad, with a whirring engine. A floating, blue, grid-screen is near my head. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Knock yourself out. Pro tip: speed is better because it's faster." I held up my hands and trotted backwards, with a causal grin. Fierce Fox faced the screen and worked her magic.

Right before my eyes, a tall, lean, egg-shaped ship appeared. It has navy blue shark-fin wings; a baby blue body; a few small, glass windows.

I clapped my hands. "Nice job," I patted Fierce Fox on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go inside." We entered the ship, which is surprisingly large and complex. A purple computer with a green screen stands in all its glory, with a keypad full of buttons. I pulled a lever, and the engine rumbled. We started to lift into the air, leaving the moon behind.

Space is still astounding; I tried not to get distracted by the twinkling stars. Instead, I focused on driving the ship, despite never driving one before- heck, I haven't even driven a car before. Our little blue ship drove in front of the sun, which is a giant, golden ball. Suddenly, circular-shaped aliens firing red balls charged towards us. I swerved out of their way, our ship puffing out steam. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the Jungle Planet, which is a glowing green and pink sphere.

We docked on the planet, before we could get annihilated by aliens. The Jungle Planet is a fascinating, robotic jungle-like planet, with large, rusty brown trees. We were docked on one, in fact. The two of us jumped down, landing on the soft, green grass. Humongous, robotic flowers towered above us.

However, my eye was focused on the middle of the room- a laser, with a green pattern design was shimmering in the light. I ran over and grabbed it, feeling relief knowing that we had a weapon: the laser lance. Then, we used the giant flowers- which are actually springs- to leap back up to where the ship was docked.

Ahead of our white platform is a series of moving platforms, connected to the robotic, green leaves and swinging ropes. Caterpillars with electric fangs are hanging from the leaves. I climbed onto the first platform, Fierce Fox behind me. It moved up to the second platform, so I did a frog jump across, avoiding the caterpillar. I grabbed onto Fierce Fox's jacket, so she didn't fall to her demise.

Eventually we made it past those and to the next section. A green knight was standing on the white, metal platform. Behind him are large, blue eggs with red dots. They open and close, revealing robotic phoenixes.

"Something or someone is being held in that cage. It may be the princess!" the knight cried, his green helmet swaying. "Use the laser lance to cut open the cage!" I gestured Fierce Fox to follow me as we ducked under the eggs. I held out a hand to stop her when we were at the last egg. Then, I grabbed her arm and hopped up, just as the phoenix peaked out. With a painful jab, we were thrown up to the golden cage, which had a pegasus. (2) I used the laser lance, which easily sliced open the cage.

"Look out! The Mother Phoenix is coming!" the knight cried. I climbed onto the pegasus, extending a hand to help Fierce Fox on board. The pegasus soared into the grey, stormy sky, Fierce Fox in front, me on the back. Fierce Fox was wielding the laser lance, which let off a green glow.

"Okay!" I yelled, glancing apprehensively at a storm cloud. "Avoid the storm clouds, charge the laser lance up, dodge the yellow bugs, and most importantly, shoot the bird missiles!" The horse ducked down, away from the storm cloud. A cloud of yellow, firefly-like bugs charged towards us. Fierce Fox shot a laser, killing them all. She charged up the laser again, just as a bird missile came right towards us. She shot the laser, demolishing it.

Then it was back to avoiding the bugs and clouds. Again, Fierce Fox charged up the laser lance, as we dodged a cloud. A missile began to approach us; Fierce Fox speedily shot a laser at it. I smirked at her surprisingly good skills. More bugs began to swirl nearby us, but we dodged them. Fierce Fox shot yet again another perfect laser, decimating another missile.

The last of the bugs and clouds vanished, and there was nothing in the air for a few moments. Until the Mother Phoenix arrived. She had robotic, flame-coloured feathers, and missiles attached to her wings. She roared, ready to shoot her missiles. However, Fierce Fox shot a laser before such thing could happen. The Mother Phoenix flashed red and vanished out of sight. Fierce Fox charged up the laser, just as she suddenly returned. She shot the second laser, making the mother phoenix fall again.

Then, before anyone could even blink, the Mother Phoenix appeared behind us. She glared straight at me and shot one of her bird missiles. It hit me in the head, suddenly making my world dizzy. Then, with my weakened body, I fell off the pegasus and towards the ground. My vision was going blurry; the world was turning black. I could hear faint muttering below me, like people waiting to catch me, or it was my imagination. And I heard a scream... Then the whole world turned black.

"Alice..." a voice echoed near me. It sounded like Heaven. Am I dead? I couldn't see anything, just darkness. I blinked my eyes a few times, adjusting to the world around me. Someone was in front of me. I couldn't see who they were.

"Huh?" I questioned, my voice echoing like I was in some sort of hall. "Am I dead?" I tried to focus on the person. "And who are you? Where am I?"

"You are not dead, Alice," the person replied calmly. She was a female, with a relaxed voice. "You will see who I am in the future. Where are you? You are nowhere but your conscious, child. You will awaken shortly. But before you do, I have a message," she cleared her throat. "Be careful who you trust, may they be from your world or Poptropica. Watch your step, too- traps can be hidden anywhere."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. Suddenly, the world began to melt away, like water. "Wait! I.."

"Alice! You're awake!" Fierce Fox was standing over me, as well as the green knight. I blinked my eyes a few times, wondering what the heck just happened. I shook my head, ruffling my hair.

"What happened?" I asked, taking in my surroundings, which was the ship.

"You were knocked unconscious. So this knight and I brought you here. But you're okay now." Fierce Fox answered, almost with concern. I got to my feet, feeling my strength return. It didn't even feel like I had been knocked out. I guess I had Poptropica physics to blame… or thank.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I replied dreamily, my head a mush of perplexion. "Let's... Complete the rest of the island... And... maybe forget this ever happened." I trotted over to the computer, and pulled the lever. We left the jungle planet, and flew into the deep, dark space sky. No one spoke at all as we flew to the Fire Planet.

We were standing on a rock platform, that's completely surrounded by lava. Platforms are being ejected into the air by the boiling hot lava. Neatly, I leaped onto the first platform, rising into the air. Fierce Fox followed me, as I continued to jump.

After quite a series of hopping across- and falling off- platforms, we made it to the entrance of the rocky, lava-filled volcano. We climbed inside. It's like a vent in there, however instead of dust and metal walls, there's charcoal-black walls and hot, smoky draft blowing through. I grabbed Fierce Fox's jacket and pulled her into an open crevice, avoiding the draft. Once it was clear, I dragged Fierce Fox and myself out the crevice and pulled us through the rest of the way. Fierce Fox shook me off halfway and just followed me.

Eventually we succeeded the draft section and arrived at the bottom layer, where a monster made out of circular, brown rocks and googly eyes rolls around. With a mighty jump, I managed to get over it. Fierce Fox rushed after me. Ahead of us was the red knight.

"What should we do?" I asked him. I suddenly wished I could ask anyone that question. And I could get the answers I wanted- not the ones I already had.

"I believe the princess is being held captive in there!" The knight cried frantically, pointing to the next area. "The beast is too strong for me. Please, take my arrow and slay the beast!" An ice arrow, cold to the touch (well, duh) flew into my inventory. I nodded, then Fierce Fox followed me to the next area. The next area has a fiery, orange background with-surprisingly- a construction site in the background. Chains hang from the ceiling, and the floor is an unstable metal bridge. A huge, green, robot dragon crashed around, creating a ruckus.

"Okay!" I cried, as I felt myself warming up. "Climb across those hanging chains, then get onto the dragon. A lever will be underneath it- you need to pull that." I held up my hand. "Oh, and watch out for stalactites." I took a few steps back, while Fierce Fox swiftly leaped from chain to chain, unlike I ever could. The dragon roared at me, revealing its robotic fangs. Suddenly, it froze, becoming as still as a statue. I chucked the ice arrow like a javelin; it landed in the dragon's mouth. It bellowed, then furiously hopped up and down, creating an earthquake.

Fierce Fox rope-jumped (that's what I call it) across the chains. The dragon glared straight at me, sending a shiver down my spine. It hopped up and down, forcing me to lose my balance. I bent my knees, trying to keep standing. Suddenly, the dragon froze up again, its mouth ajar. I shot another arrow into the dragon's mouth, enraging it further. It continued to pound on the unstable ground, again making me wobble.

I faced Fierce Fox. "One more time!" I called, my head suddenly hurting. She did such thing, hopping across the ropes. The dragon was jumping more than ever, pretty much set on my demise. I furiously clung to the shaking metal ground, praying that I wouldn't die. Then, for the final time, the dragon froze. With my dizzy head, I shot the arrow; it exploded the dragon's mouth. Sweat was drenched down my back; only then I realized my temperature had risen to an unhealthy level. I felt the floor cracking beneath my feet, and I waddled backwards.

The lava was right behind my head; the place where the dragon had met its demise. I wanted to scream, but the heat was overwhelming. It's over, I thought. Suddenly, a hand clamped onto mine and pulled me up. With athlete strength, its owner helped me escape the fiery volcano, with nothing but faint tears in my eyes.

"You alright?" Fierce Fox asked, once we were back on the ship. I nodded, then shook my head. What happened? Did I pass out again? Astro Knights is a difficult island, but I never thought I'd collapse from playing it.

"I'm okay. I don't think fire and me mix well," I replied with a smirk, turning to the control panel. Fierce Fox raised her brow. "Come on, it's time to go to the Ice Planet. We have some... Sharks to deal with." I launched our ship into the sky, flying through the breath-taking space sky. After a few minutes of peaceful flying, we arrived at the Ice Planet, where space sharks were roaming around. The ship budged up near them, grabbing their attention.

They followed us around, treating space like the sea. I swerved the ship, proud with my oddly impressive driving skills. Especially when I led them to the black hole. I tried my hardest not to get sucked in, though it required all the effort I could shove on the gas. The space sharks, thank goodness, were sucked away. So we returned to the ice planet.

The Ice Planet, like the name, is made completely out of ice. A sea of ice is holding large ice platforms, which are covered in snow. Fierce Fox and I leaped across the smaller, bobbing ice platforms, our feet slipping. Robot piranhas nipped at our toes, but we were okay. We got onto the larger ice platform, which leads to a slippery ice mountain. The both of us managed to hike it, despite how stupidly slippery it was.

The blue knight was waiting on the peak. Fierce Fox and I approached him.

"Can you help us?" I asked, folding my arms from the cold.

"Yes! Take this shield and defeat the beast!" the knight cried, as a golden shield popped into my inventory. Suddenly, a snow white tiger-copter flew up before us, with beady yellow eyes and whirring blades. Fierce Fox and I stayed under the shield, as it began to shoot rock-hard snowballs at us. They bounded off the shield, the occasional one landing straight on the chopper. It roared and flashed red, then began to shoot missiles, while our shield charged.

We ran to the side, waiting for the shield to finish charging. Once it did, the both of us left the corner, as the helicopter started shooting snowballs again. They deflected off the shield, while- at the same time- destroying it. Another one hit the tiger-copter, provoking it to come down and get us. We avoided it, of course, and went to recharge the shield.

I smiled at Fierce Fox, preparing for the final attack. The tiger-copter flung out the stupid snowballs, right at us. We flung them back, destroying the tiger-copter. It roared and vanished off the screen. I was thankful I didn't collapse again.

"The princess is not here! Two other knights set out to find the princess. Perhaps one of them has found her!" the blue knight said, walking over to us. "I will accompany you on your quest!"

"Legend has it that there is a golden key on a large asteroid. The key opens a gateway to another galaxy!" the red knight cried, once we were back onboard.

"Luckily I know exactly where to find that asteroid." I replied, facing the control panel. I pulled the lever, and the engine rumbled. The ship, with my guidance, drove to a certain asteroid, with a crystal shard-shaped blue building. Fierce Fox and I climbed up the incredible crystal building, shimmering in the pale light. There's decreased gravity, so the trip was kinda easy A golden key was stuck in some of the crystals, behind some text about the four knights.

"The Chosen One..." Fierce Fox's eyes scanned the passage. "But who's the Chosen One?"

"Probably you, considering Poptropican logic," I replied, preparing to hand Fierce Fox the weapons. "I mean, you have to complete the island, not me." Then I thought about all the messages, all the clues... All the connections I had been getting. I remembered the person who tried to grab me on Nabooti Island, and the person who spoke to me while I was unconscious. And that anonymous character at my school. Above all, I thought about the questions I had. Would they ever be answered?

Fierce Fox reached over and pulled out the sword, which didn't surprise me. However, it pulled her in before I could explain what to do. I gasped, as the portal began to close. No! I lunged forward, reaching my hands to the portal. However, it closed before I could reach it. Fear pumped through my veins, as I took a step back. How was Fierce Fox going to know what to do?

I turned to the other knights. "There's gotta be some way to open the portal again!"

"Only the Chosen One can open the portal." the red one replied, making me grit my teeth with aggravation. Fierce Fox! She's all alone, all clueless. I pounded my fists against the crystal, as if it was some sort of door. But it wouldn't budge. Great.

"What are you doing, miss Alice?" the blue knight asked behind me.

"Trying to get in. The Chosen One needs me." I replied, with a heavy sigh. I wasn't going to be able to get in. Just like I had no answers.

"We will see about that." someone said, scaring me out of my skin. I recognized the voice from when I had passed out- the woman. I tried to gaze at her, though I could only see something like a shadow, floating.

"You... Who are you?" I asked, with curiosity. Even the other knights were startled.

"You must be patient, Alice," the someone replied, as she held up a hidden hand. The swirly portal opened, just like magic. I gasped and blubbered. "Now go. Fierce Fox needs you."

I shook my head. "But-"

"Go." the woman replied, waving me away. The only thing I could do was oblige and enter the portal, and wonder the who the heck that was.

I dropped down from the sky and arrived at a blue-brick, medieval castle. No one was outside, not even Binary Bard disguised as the princess. The door was ajar, so I entered, getting chills up my spine. The inside has a lush, red carpet and murals on the walls that shimmer gently against the cream, stone walls. I heard a scream from an elevated, metal platform. My eyes widened in horror when I saw Fierce Fox and the princess captured behind a green shield.

"Ah, Alice! You have finally arrived!" a giant, rather scary-appearing robot boomed. It had sharp, green swords in its hands, and tech all through its body. The owner of the robot grinned. "It's about time!"

"Binary Bard!" I commanded, with trickles of anger. "Let them go!"

"Not until I have you first!" Binary Bard cackled, the huge robot heading towards me. It swung its green blades. I gasped and jumped out of the way, feeling awfully defenseless. Yet again, there was less of a chance of dying- but adrenaline still made my heart pump. I led Binary Bard under the captured Poptropicans' cage. Then, I jumped up him, ready to free my friends. "NO!" Binary Bard cried, suddenly shooting me down with a laser, which stung like a bee sting.

I grumbled, falling on my butt. I quickly got to my feet, just as Binary Bard hurled straight for me. I rolled out of the way from his swords, like you see in movies. Bending my knees, I climbed up him again and onto the cage. I soared across the sky and onto the chandelier. Binary Bard growled and shot a laser, narrowly missing me. He destroyed the chandelier, and it landed on him, smashing his robot.

Smirking, I made clenched fists as Binary Bard came for me again, swinging his swords. I dodged them sneakily again, wondering where the heck I got spy-worthy skills. Maybe Spy Island. I flipped onto Binary Bard's body, then leaped up to the cage again. From there, I got to the second chandelier, just as Binary Bard appeared underneath me. He shot it again, and it landed on him.

"NO!" he boomed, scrambling out of his crackling robot. He grabbed me by the front of my long-sleeve. "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE!" As well as myself, he picked up the powerful green orb. "THEY WILL SURELY BE PLEASED WITH ME!"

"'They'?!" I repeated, shaking in fear.

"Not today!" The princess suddenly squawked. She leaped down from the cage and karate-kicked Binary Bard in the chest, sending him flying across the carpet. She stood protectively in front of the orb, just as Fierce Fox climbed down. The princess smiled at me. "Thank you both for saving me! Mordred has deceived us all- and thankfully hasn't gotten you, Alice. Now that we have the orb back, power will be restored to Arturus and Mordred will be trapped here forever."

"Yeah..." I said, all these worries and thoughts clouding my mind. "Let's get outta here."

Fierce Fox and I were requested to the castle by the king.

"So Mordred was behind all of this! I should've known," he declared, as we stood in the throne room. He faced Fierce Fox and I. "For your valiance, both of you, you shall be knighted as Lady Fox and Lady Manchester of Arturus!" The medallion glowed around Fierce Fox's neck, as my vision turned white. The queen gazed at me and winked.

Going home was almost a relief. It felt like a lot had just hit me. I need to find out what's going on! Who are these people contacting me? Who wants me? I had questions, and no answers.

And that can be very frustrating.


	13. Counterfeit

I hoped things would get less weird after the whole mysterious person incident. Of course I was wrong.

I mean, most people were acting pretty normal (thank goodness), but some were huddled in small groups, glaring at me when I was nearby. I guessed it was some of Chrissi's gang, plotting my downfall. Not a very positive thing to think about.

At lunchtime, I logged onto the school computer and booted up Poptropica. It almost felt weird to see Fierce Fox behind a computer screen again. I wondered if she was thinking about me at that very moment, as I led her into her impressive, golden blimp. It flew over the grand, crashing oceans, and docked on Counterfeit Island. I decided I was going to do a crash course of the island, before I actually visited it myself.

I was entering the Underground tunnel when I heard a mocking tone behind me.

"Alice, are you playing Poptropica?" It was the new boy, who'd come a few months ago. I exited the blue screen and spun around in my chair.

"None of your business." I replied, in a stern tone, furrowing my eyebrows. The boy chuckled.

"Isn't that a kid's game?" he laughed, folding his arms. I rolled my eyes. Two can play this game.

"Says the guy who watches My Little Pony." I pointed out, with a mischievous grin. (1)

He flushed. "I don't watch that stupid horse show!"

I snickered. "Yeah, that's why I saw you watching it yesterday in Science. You looked like you were enjoying yourself."

The boy let his arms hang by his side. "So... what's your username in Poptropica?"

Fierce Fox and myself arrived on Counterfeit Island. We landed in a garden, which has neatly trimmed bushes; lush green grass; polished footpaths; a metal-green statue of a Poptropican pampering herself. Fierce Fox followed me past all these and to Downtown. We entered a place called Bobo's Clown store. It's a store with an optimistic atmosphere: it sells many bright, plastic hats, clothing items, and anything you would find in a young child's mind.

I grabbed a green balloon, feeling slightly weightless. One of the times where Poptropican physics really confused me. Fierce Fox was confused too, but not about physics.

"What's up with the balloon?" she asked.

"It's about to create one of Poptropica's greatest legends." I explained, with a glint in my eye. Fierce Fox shrugged and trailed after me. We arrived at the Countryside, which is surrounded by trees that belong in Autumn. Soft grass is beneath our feet. Underneath some of the trees were two kids. I noticed they're a little shorter than us, so I inferred Fierce Fox and myself were probably young adults/teens (although I'm not actually a young adult myself).

Anyway, I handed the balloon to the kid in front, who was a boy. "Here you go, kid." I said. He grabbed the balloon, and it suddenly lifted him into the sky, destroying every bit of Earth physics I knew. The girl, who had a red a balloon, rushed off.

"Uh..." Fierce Fox stared at me. I chuckled.

"Balloon Boy," I explained. "Come on. We've got some trash to dig through." Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow. I sighed and led her back to Downtown, and then to the outside of one of the grey apartments. A trash can had its lid slightly ajar. Now, I knew that I wouldn't get sick by sticking my hands in there- thanks Poptropican physics- but I still felt disgust grip me. So I let Fierce Fox do it.

Fierce Fox managed to snatch two tickets from the revolting mess. She was happy at first, but then I explained one of the tickets had to go to a tourist.

"Really?" Fierce Fox complained, folding her arms. I patted her shoulder.

"Never mind," I assured. "I'll be able to handle this on my own."

Fierce Fox followed me into the 'Web Browser Internet Cafe', which is something my world needs. A guy outside the building was talking about Balloon Boy; I winked at Fierce Fox. The cafe has brown walls; brown chairs and tables; a dirty, white floor. Coffee cups are printed on the wallpaper. A tourist was standing near a computer on a desk.

I approached the tourist, holding out the tickets. But he did something I didn't expect. He grinned at us and said, "You two keep the tickets, no problem! I think you two need to be together." I thanked him politely, while giving a concerning look to Fierce Fox. That's not supposed to happen!

"Well, at least we get to go together now." Fierce Fox pointed out, as we headed towards the Underground Tunnel. I shook my head.

"But... this isn't supposed to happen. He's only supposed to give one ticket!" I exclaimed, with anxiety. Is this part of whatever's going on? I thought. I wasn't sure... But I knew I was definitely nervous.

We got to the Underground Tunnel Tour location. Basically it looks like a hill with a metal-bar gate, surrounded by broken pillars. A lady with a green beret was standing outside it. I handed her the tickets.

"Bonjour! Would you two like to take the tour?" she asked, in an amiable tone. We nodded. "When you're ready to start the tour, just ahead inside." We did such thing. Inside has an appearance like an old jail: the walls are made of pale cobblestone, broken pillars, and tombs. Spray-painted skulls are on the walls, as well as metal pattern designs. I felt a little shiver up my spine, though I knew this was nothing compared to the Underworld in Mythology Island.

We slid down a few ropes and jumped over stone walls and platforms. We eventually reached a dome-shaped room, with skulls underneath it. I instructed Fierce Fox to slither up a hanging, electric light, and grab a piece of paper hanging off a wire. She did such thing. It was added to her inventory for a puzzle later on.

After that we exited. The exit, however, is outside a sewer, underneath a harbour. A guy- who strikes me as shadowy- was waiting outside. I could see a scar under his sunglasses, and shadows cover half his face.

"Psst," the guy whispered. "Come here," Fierce Fox and myself approached him. He scanned the area nearby. "You're that... Girl from another world or something, right?" He asked this while looking at me.

I frowned. "How do you know? What's going on? How does everyone else know?"

The guy kept his voice to a whisper. "I'm not really supposed to tell you. That's another person's job. But I do wanna say stick with your friend over there- things are getting more dangerous. Anyway, I think ya know what to do now."

Great, I thought. More confusion. Can this get any better? I folded my arms and let out an irritated sigh. Fierce Fox just shrugged at me. I grumbled and ran my fingers through my hair, stormed past the man, almost forgetting to pick up a piece of paper on a rock. After grabbing that, Fierce Fox followed me past some old boats on the dock.

"So," she questioned, holding her arms. "What's up with all this... Well..."

"I don't know," I grumbled, trying not to sound too angry. "I don't know anything, yet everyone else knows everything. It feels like I'm in another dimension... well, I am, but one I don't know at all."

"Well, they did say we need to stick together," Fierce Fox kindly pointed out. "So at least we know some things."

"Yipee." I replied sarcastically. By then, we'd reached the museum, which has a great, dome roof, and is made of marble. With my direction, Fierce Fox climbed up to the roof and grabbed another piece of paper. Then, the two of us went to the grand, glass doors. A woman with straight, black hair stared at me. I could tell she knew who I was and I knew who she was. I urged Fierce Fox inside.

We spent the next five or so minutes moving paintings around to become security guards. Interesting experience to have with your Poptropican, I must say. The assistant curator was impressed and allowed us into the Forgery Detection Lab for our training.

The Forgery Detection stage was easy- for me, at least. I had to help Fierce Fox and give her all the answers. Which is what I do anyway. It was actually kinda fun, and reminded me of my science classes. Especially the part where we tested paint samples. I found that more fun than I thought I would.

We both got the job successfully, and the assistant curator handed us keys to the storage room. To get there, we had to go into the statue room, which seems to be the biggest foreshadowing clue to Mythology Island (2). The statues are perfectly sculpted, and the wallpaper is fancy and red. However, we didn't have time to gawk at the statues. We went to the supply room, which unfortunately is much less fancy than the statue room. But it did have a piece of paper, so we got that.

The shadowy man, shadowy and dark as the current night sky, was waiting for us when we returned to the docks. Before we spoke to him, I swiped a piece of paper from a boat's deck. The puzzle- or picture- of a dragon was complete now that we had all the paper. Then we popped in front of the man.

"Good luck, you two." he said warmly. We didn't reply and instead faced the place where we exited the Underground Tunnel. It was pretty easy to hop through the tunnel, and using the complete picture, we managed to escape the tunnel through a drain.

The tunnel's exit took us back to the supply room; it was almost pitch black. I used the keys to click the door open. It led us into a corridor, where a guard was roaming around outside. In a very quiet tone, I ordered Fierce Fox to avoid being noticed.

After sneaking past the guard, we got back into the statue room. Little red lasers were sprinkling down from the ceiling; we needed to circumvent them. We did that by hiding behind the statues, which is a... tradition, I guess, shared between Poptropica Islands. Once we passed that, we got into the main art archive.

I spotted The Scream up ahead, and knew it was the thing that was going to get us busted. Suddenly fear flushed through my body. The face of the lady with black hair popped into my head. Something told me I should let Fierce Fox do this on her own, and avoid myself getting caught.

What did the man tell you? A voice- the woman's voice from the last island- asked me. Then I remembered- we had to stick together. And I knew that black-haired woman wasn't who she appeared to be. All the messages, the perplexing messages, were swirling in my brain like a hurricane. What was I to do? I wanted the mysterious woman- whoever she was- to tell me what to do. Please, I called, hoping she'd hear me. Help. She didn't answer. I guessed that meant I was on my own.

The next morning, we woke up in a jail cell. The black-haired woman- known as the investigator- was watching me. Let's just say it wasn't pleasant.

The investigator smiled sweetly at us. "Don't worry, I know you're both innocent. But I need to have a little conversation with Al- the blonde girl."

I gulped, and faced Fierce Fox. "Go back to the museum and to the security office. Go to the computer and take a picture of the shadowy man. Go to the Jazz Cafe and chase after the man. Then come back for me."

Fierce Fox raised her brow. "But didn't the man say we need to stick-"

"Go." I ordered, almost firmly, realizing I was denying what I believed the previous night. Oh well. Fierce Fox sighed and dashed off, leaving the investigator and I alone.

"Well," the investigator took a step towards me. "If it isn't Alice, the girl from another world."

"What's going on?!" I demanded, clenching my fists. "How do you know about me?! Who told you?!"

"Patience, Alice," the investigator said, as she approached me. I took a step back. "Your questions will be answered sooner or later."

"By whom?" I demanded, with a scowl.

"I'm not going to tell you," the investigator replied, circling me. "You'll find out."

"No!" I growled, stomping my foot. "Tell me now! I don't like all these unanswered questions! I don't like what's going on! What's happening?!"

The investigator chuckled. "Oh, Alice. Don't get so grumpy. Hm, because I feel nice, I'm going to say there are two sides. Your side, and the other side."

"What?!" I cried, biting my lip. "Sides? What do you mean?"

"And unfortunately," the investigator gripped my shoulders. "I'm not on your side." Then she hit me over the head. Everything went black.

My eyes flickered open. I was tied up- scratch that- tied up in chains, in the Underground Tunnel. All around me was darkness, and the crumbling walls of the Underground Tunnel. Then I realized why Fierce Fox and myself needed to stay together- we needed to help each other.

"Help!" I cried in desperation. My voice echoed. "Somebody! Anybody! Help!" But nobody heard me and nobody came to rescue me. I was trapped. Screwed. I struggled against the chains, but they wouldn't budge. "Help!" I yelled, feeling hopelessness fall over me. No one was coming to rescue me. I was stuck. Then I heard the woman's voice in my head- Help is coming.

I didn't know what she meant. Suddenly, I heard someone enter the tunnel. Their footsteps pounded along the floor, becoming more audible as they came closer to me. It was none other than Fierce Fox, who'd come to rescue me. I was in shock.

"But how-" I spluttered.

"I got a calling," Fierce Fox explained, raising her brow. "Like the voice. This woman told me to come here and find you."

"A woman has been telling me things, too," I replied in curiosity, as Fierce Fox attempted to free me. "She opened the portal for me on Astro Knights so I could save you. She told me you were coming. She told me not to split up last night. I should've listened when I told you to go before."

"Who'd you think she is?" Fierce Fox asked, tugging the chains off me.

"I don't know..." I said, shaking my head. "But I have a feeling she's on our side," I leaped out of the chains. "Come on. Let's continue with the island."

Fierce Fox was up to the part where you have to travel to Early Poptropica Island. So together, we flew over on Fierce Fox's blimp and docked the island. We entered the Pop Art museum, and were greeted by an old woman, who handed us an old, bronze key. I thanked the woman. Then we left Early Poptropica and returned to Counterfeit.

I led Fierce Fox to the end of the island: a little cottage. It's a beautiful stone cottage, with a wooden roof. I opened the door and entered, spotting the Home Sweet Home sign over the fireplace. I climbed a few stairs to the second level. A frame was hanging on the wall, carrying a drawing that looked like it came from pre-school.

I peeled it down and revealed The Scream, which is what I expected. The Black Widow came and beat us up, which is also what I expected. But I didn't expect the next part.

Black Widow had tied me up in a totally different room, like a panic room. I was surrounded by thick metal, and my body was wrapped in chains; I was practically being strangled by them. There was no one around me. The only reassuring thing was a single light hanging from the ceiling.

"You're all mine," Black Widow entered the room, with a wicked smile. "They couldn't catch you, but I did! I will be rewarded."

"What are you talking about?" I gasped in horror, as Black Widow approached me.

"Sides, Alice. They oppose each other, but they both want the same thing- you." she hissed, her presence sending chills up my spine.

"Sides?" I questioned. "They want me? Why?"

"Why do you think?" Black Widow asked menacingly. "You, in a way, are the voice. Of course we want you."

"But how did you find out about me? Who told you?" I demanded, struggling against the chains.

"Hmm, you may or may not know them," The Black Widow replied, caressing my chin. "But for now, you are mine! You're worth as much as all the art in my gallery! HA HA HA!"

"No!" I cried, in perplexion and fear.

"And there's nothing you can do about it! You can't stop it Alice. Nobody can!" Black Widow cackled, making my brain hurt. I was sick. Sick of worry. Sick of confusion. Danger was around me- and heck, I still didn't understand what was going on! Did I have some sort of secret fan club?

"What's 'it'?" I wailed, as Black Widow continued to circle me. Suddenly, I heard banging on the doors. People were trying to get in!

"Surrender, Black Widow! We're calling the cops!" someone yelled, as they banged their fists against the secure door.

"Never! She's mine now!" Black Widow cackled, with a sickening grin.

"Don't make us call the big guns!" somebody else cried. I raised my eyebrows. The 'big guns'? Who's that? My head started to pound.

"Bring it on, then! They'll never get to me!" Black Widow sneered, laughing. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. The walls began to shiver like jelly, and my chains were jingling. There was an earthquake, and it was coming straight for me. I wasn't sure if I was more scared of the earthquake or 'the big guns'. "Cures!" Black Widow complained, as the floor began to split. She faced the door. "You win this time, but you won't next time!" Then she disappeared up a vent, where I heard her getting beat up by somebody.

Thanks to the earthquake, the door sort of exploded open, revealing the shadowy man and Fierce Fox. They rushed over and speedily untied me, sending blood back into my arms and legs. I freely wiggled them around, before Fierce Fox clutched my arm.

"We have to go!" she ordered, in her iconic fierce tone. I wanted to ask how on Earth they managed to summon an earthquake, but it wasn't the right time- our lives were on the line. So instead, I raced along with them to escape Black Widow's lair.

We dodged falling parts of the roof, and cracks in the ground. Black Widow's crew was also escaping, and they appeared to be just as terrified as us. I noticed that a lot of the stolen art was getting covered in debris.

"What about the art?" I cried, pointing a finger at it.

"Never mind the art! We have to go!" the man yelled back. We continued shoving through falling debris. All I could see was fear, and feel my heart racing. Oh, and debris. Fierce Fox kept a tough grip on my arm, and it seemed to be my only guidance. My brain was a mess, and I was losing my reflexes. It killed.

It felt like forever when we finally escaped Black Widow's lair. It was strange enough to mention that once Black Widow's crew left, Fierce Fox called out something and the earthquake calmed down. I didn't understand it. Did she have superpowers or something?

On the bright side, Black Widow had been caught by the cops and was taken away. And we didn't die in the earthquake. Although all these new worries were driving me crazy. I had so many questions, and no proper answers. It felt like I'd gotten my leg problem all over again.

"How'd you start that earthquake?" I asked Fierce Fox, as we made our way to the museum. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Not exactly," she answered. "The man told me he 'knew some people', then he... Made this weird calling, and the earthquake started. Oh, and he warned me to be careful."

"But... what's this all about?" I persisted, folding my arms. "'Sides'? 'Stick together'? 'Be careful who you trust'? This is outrageous!"

"Like I said, I don't know," Fierce Fox said, shaking her head in shame. "I guess there's just something out there."

I groaned. "Go get your medallion in the museum." I gazed up the sky, biting my lip. Whoever's up there, if you can hear me, please tell me what's going on. It's scaring me.

You must find that out yourself. We cannot help you all the time, something replied. Then it vanished, much to my frustration. Great.

I only hoped my world had more answers.


	14. Reality TV

The usual happened- Fierce Fox and I landed on Reality TV island, which is probably the most run-down island we had been on. In fact, we literally landed on a revolting dumpster, from which I quickly hopped down. Fierce Fox followed me to the front of the TV World shop, which is a little silver shop, filled with nothing but televisions... And satellites. Signs advertising the TVs are plastered all over the glass windows. I faced Fierce Fox.

"Now," I took a deep breath, getting an odd feeling. "This island is... A little different from the others."

"How so?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I bit my lip. "Well, there's a little bit of stuff we have to do at the start... Then it's mini games for the entire island."

"Cool!" Fierce Fox cheered, with a grin. I shook my head.

"Well, unfortunately, it's more of a 'every person for themself' island," I explained. "So... we can't really work together on this."

"Oh..." Fierce Fox's eyes drooped. "Whatever. It doesn't feel like we're working together that much anyway. It... just feels like you're telling me what to do all the time... Like I'm your slave or something. Then you go and get lost and I have to save you."

I widened my eyes. "What? But... I know what to do! I have to tell you! And we do work together. Remember Super Power Island? We flew through that island! It would've been so much harder if-"

"Poptropicans are supposed to work alone," Fierce Fox interrupted me, holding up her hand. "That's how it works. You said it yourself. Maybe... It's better if we don't work together... We keep getting split up anyway."

"No! But I need you to help me go back to my world! I can't get the medallion like you can!" I cried, feeling horror twist my stomach. "Besides... We're friends now, right? You know what I've been through! Plus, everyone keeps saying we need to stick together!"

Fierce Fox curled her lip. "Hmm... Fine, we'll see how important it really is to stick together. If either of us can complete the island without the other's help, then we'll reconsider working together. But if we need each other..."

I shook my head. "But-"

"Good luck, Alice." Fierce Fox rushed off into the television shop, obviously trying to hide her perplexity, though it seemed to vanish pretty quickly. I shook my head. Where'd she get such ideas? I knew she wouldn't be able to complete the island without me... And I didn't want to split up. It didn't work that way. But what was I to do? I listened out for the woman's voice, yearning for some advice, but she wasn't there. So I sighed and entered TV World.

TVs are placed on wooden tables, near spiky, green plants. On the shiny, new TVs, a video of Balloon Boy shows. I smirked. Then, I climbed a few of the blue-floored layers, until I got to the top. A large TV is there, with a guy standing next to it.

"Try changing the channel." he said. So, I did just that, and an important address: 123 STAR AVENUE HOLLYWOOD, came up. Good, I thought. Then I exited the television store, seeing no signs of Fierce Fox. It seemed she was very serious about this splitting up business. It didn't give me any good feelings.

I headed into Mike's Market, which is a little green supermarket. I shoved some trolleys along the tiled floor, passing the icy freezer. I hopped over the Fresh Donut cupboard, and finally to the tabloid underneath it. But there was no guy- he was supposed to be clutching the tabloid. An eerie chill creeped up my spine.

I picked up the tabloid and peered inside. The contestant form had been taken out, much to my dismay. Had Fierce Fox already got it? But how did she... Fear tingled throughout my entire body. Was somebody hacking my account? How did Fierce Fox know how to do all this? A voice in my head told me something bad was going on, and I needed to stop whoever was telling Fierce Fox what to do.

"FIERCE FOX!" I yelled, in desperation. "I need you now!" I suddenly spotted the motel, which is more run down than my school camp. The pale walls are cracking, and I could spot cockroaches swarming near the faded, red doors. I barged into the motel office, and Fierce Fox was right there, calling Papa Pete's pizza on the phone.

I raced over to Fierce Fox and snatched the phone out of her hands, then put the phone back on the receiver. She glared at me.

"Hey, no interruptions." she snared, folding her arms.

"Who's telling you what to do?" I demanded, almost menacingly.

"The voice, of course," Fierce Fox answered disdainfully. Then her eyes widened. "Wait... aren't you my voice?" I gasped.

"Do not trust that voice!" I cried, waving my hands. "I'm your voice... You can't trust that voice... I don't know who they are... Just don't trust them!"

"They told me to be your enemy," Fierce Fox explained, shivering. "Who could they be?"

"I don't know," I bowed my head, fear making it ache. "I'll find out though, I promise." I sighed. "There has to be another contestant form around here somewhere..." Fierce Fox handed me her form, so I could try and find another one. We needed to stick together, after all. Being on Reality television was no exception. Then I eyed the Motel Office manager, and got an idea.

"Excuse me," I asked politely, grabbing his attention. I held up the form. "Do you know where I can find one of these?"

The manager bristled his grey beard, not noticing Fierce Fox grab a motel pen for future use. "Hmm... One of the guys outside might have one."

"Thanks," I said. I faced Fierce Fox. "Call Papa Pete's and order your pizza. Give it to Motel Room 4B. I'll be back, and don't trust that voice." As fast as my legs could carry me, I raced down the cement path, until I got back to the area near TV World. A Gothic boy, with a skull t-shirt was standing in front of the shop. He gazed at me and signaled me over, so I walked over to him. Without a word, he handed me a contestant form.

My eyebrows raised. "Uh... how did you know I wanted this?" The guy didn't reply, and instead pointed to the motel. "Well… Thanks, I guess." I returned to the motel, an odd feeling in my belly. Who was that and how did he know I needed the form?

A pizza lady was roaming outside. Fierce Fox and I took her pizza and brought it to Room 4B, which is Bucky Lucas'- an infamous poptropican's- room. He accepted the pizza and gave us stamps to mail in our applications. Then the time came for me to write down why I should be on the show.

Because... I lifted my pen, feeling the words flowing. Because I want to help. That was all I wrote. The two of us mailed our applications, then went to stay at the motel for the night.

The next morning, both of us got onto the show- Reality TV Island. It's based off a show from my world called Survivor. A grand helicopter was waiting for us. So, Fierce Fox and I climbed into it, and were whisked away to Reality TV. I had to explain to Fierce Fox we were opposing, though we could help each other if necessary. I also explained all the mini games we could play, and whoever won the mini games would be safe from being voted off.

On Day 1, we were brought to a tropical forest-like area standing with a bunch of other poptropicans- including some familiar faces, like Dr. Hare and Ned Noodlehead. I gazed at Fierce Fox, and gave her a nod. Then the games begun.

The first event was Totem Hop, which is where you have to hop from totem to totem to avoid being dragged into the water. I stood on my wooden totem, Fierce Fox nearby. I was on the lower totems, and Fierce Fox was on the higher totems. Someone's totem wobbled next to me, and she leaped off to another totem. The totem of somebody else began to rumble, but he couldn't get away quick enough and fell off.

Then my totem began to shake. I leaped onto the totem next to me; Fierce Fox did the same thing with her totem. I shared the totem with a girl in a cowboy hat. Suddenly, it began to shake again, so I changed totems with the one above me. The girl, on the other hand, fell off. I was left alone for a little bit, so I watched a few other people fall off and get eliminated.

Soon, it was between Fierce Fox, this guy called Hip Hop and myself. Hip Hop's totem started shaking, so he hopped around like crazy, causing his downfall. Then it was Fierce Fox and I.

"May the best man win!" I cried, jumping off my totem as it began to shake. Fierce Fox missed her totem and lost, giving me immunity. And so that was the end of Day 1. I felt bad for Hip Hop losing to us, and I felt even worse when he was kicked off. Oh well. Like I said, may the best man win.

Day 2 was Coconut Catch, which is where a monkey throws coconuts and you have to catch them and earn points. I stood underneath the monkey's green palm tree, as it began to chuck the coconuts. Everyone went crazy and reached out for them, scoring points. I sort of stayed near the front, grabbing the close coconuts. Fierce Fox began to copy me, which agitated me a little. Eventually, one of the bombs got her, and I almost chuckled.

I grabbed a bunch of coconuts, earning a three-pointer. I was getting nearer to twenty points, which is the score you need to win. Everyone else was catching up to me, but I was still way ahead. I got a bit cocky and jumped up every five seconds, which ended up getting me bombed right in the face. It took a lot of work to catch up.

But in the end I won, and again received immunity. Fierce Fox almost got voted out, but luckily a lady with dark, curly hair took her place.

Day 3 was Geyser Guess, which I had no luck in winning whatsoever. It's utter luck- you have to stand over a geyser and pray that it doesn't explode. I gave Fierce Fox a comforting glance as we picked our geysers next to each other. Ned Noodlehead's geyser blew up first, sending him so high that I wouldn't have been surprised if he saw Zeus or that giant from Early Poptropica.

I decided to stay on the same geyser, although Fierce Fox changed hers. The ground rumbled, and this time Betty Jetty was blasted into the air. Now it was just us, someone I didn't know and Dr. Hare. Third time lucky, I thought as I sat down on my geyser. Fierce Fox and Dr. Hare stood next to each other, while the other person went to the geyser closest to me. The ground shook, and I felt heat beneath my feet. Then, a hot blast of liquid squirted me into the air, blocking my view of anything. Once the geyser goo cleared, the realization of loss hit me.

The good news was that Fierce Fox won instead, so she'd be safe from being voted off. I prayed to any god listening that I wouldn't be voted off. Thank them, because Betty Jetty- who shot a glare at me- was voted off.

Day 4 was Balanced Diet, which I was (and still am) extremely terrible at. What you must do is balance a stick of fruit in the air, and it gets harder because more fruit is placed on the stick. I wasn't able to hold on very long and lost second to last. However, Fierce Fox won again, which made me wonder how she was so good at holding fruit on a stick.

I guess I must've had better luck than I intentioned, because Ned Noodlehead was eliminated. Though two people voted for me, so I knew there was a high chance I would be disqualified. Yet again, it was more imperative that Fierce Fox stayed on, since she needed to win.

Day 5- the event third to last- was Hang Glider, which is where everyone flies on a hang glider and has to avoid various attacks, such as birds or volcanoes. It was just Dr. Hare, Fierce Fox, someone I didn't recognize and I, versing each other.

We all swerved out the way of a bird, who squawked. I hung around near the back, while the other three were ahead of me. A volcano was approaching, so I ascended upwards to avoid it. Fierce Fox replicated me, and Dr. Hare had a near miss, as well as the other guy. A bird suddenly charged towards us, and hit Fierce Fox. A stone formed at the pit of the stomach. I had to win to save Fierce Fox.

I continued to roam around near the back, again dodging another bird. Dr. Hare was doing the same thing, and we were neck and neck. Then the volcano came and knocked out the other person, who was pretty bad in my opinion. I zoomed upwards, wind rushing through my hair. The red-hot liquid of the volcano got Dr. Hare. I smirked.

Day 6 came and it was Boulder Push, with only Fierce Fox, Dr. Hare and I. The other guy had sadly been voted out by the three of us. Anyway, Boulder Push is where you have to push a boulder faster than everyone else. I flexed my muscles and faced my boulder, ignoring the fear trickling down my spine.

Then I shoved and shoved, sweat pouring down my cheeks. I couldn't see how well the others were doing, since I was so darned focused on my boulder. I don't think I've ever pushed something so hard before. Well, in human form, I can't. But there I could. I actually won the competition, and I felt joy wash over me like warm water. Dr. Hare, unfortunately, was voted out, and left only two people- Fierce Fox and myself.

Day 7 was the final event, and we were forced to oppose each other. It was the Mountain Race, which is where you race up a mountain and avoid boulders. We stood at the starting line, and I gave Fierce Fox a smile.

"May the best man win." I said, patting her shoulder. I knew that Fierce Fox had to win, but that didn't stop my old, competitive energy from taking over my body. And so the race begun.

I rushed up near the front and jumped randomly. It was a rather good strategy, because I managed to hop over a lot of the boulders. I was doing decent until a rock hit me on the head. I was flung down to the ground, my view covered in stars. Fierce Fox was now neck and neck with me. We were both randomly jumping over the boulders, still tied.

I could see the finish line, and a bunch more boulders. I hopped over another one, Fierce Fox copying me. Then, one hit her, sending her flying back. The finish line was approaching, and I knew I was going to win. But I couldn't win! Fierce Fox had to win. However, my legs wouldn't stop running, no matter what I did. I glanced back at Fierce Fox, who was dazed. So instead I ran backwards and leaped around like crazy. One of the rocks hit me, and Fierce Fox overtook me.

A shower of confetti splashed over Fierce Fox, while the show sent me home. We both climbed out the helicopter, Fierce Fox wearing her medallion.

"Good job," I patted her shoulder. I noticed a few people had gathered on the roof to see us. I couldn't help but smile, even when my screen turned white. "See you!" I bid farewell to Fierce Fox, feeling positive.

Then I gasped at what island was next. My favourite island- Mythology Island. It'd been my dream since I found Poptropica to visit that island- and it was about to come true.

And I couldn't be more afraid. Something told me a lot of stuff was going to happen- and it wasn't all going to be good.


	15. Mythology

I couldn't decide if I was more nervous or excited. I couldn't focus properly in class; my mind kept sailing all over the world. My teacher had to smack my desk a few times, which was rather embarrassing.

I couldn't even walk properly- well, I never could- when school finished. All these thoughts were clouding my brain and brewing in my stomach. My arm kept twitching, yet a smile managed to stay on my face. The boy who likes My Little Pony said he'd never seen me smile so much. But of course, this couldn't last forever.

"Crashice!" somebody's taunting voice called behind me. My smile seemed to melt off my face. That voice... That awful voice. I hadn't heard it in so long. My body froze up, and my heart started beating. Steps approached from behind me, every one sending a chill up my spine. "Long time, no see, Crashice." It was Chrissi's voice, which sounded like it surfaced from the pits of Hell.

I turned around, as if I was going to be arrested. Chrissi and her stupid gang were standing around me. I scanned my heart for courage, but Chrissi's presence alone seemed to suck it all away.

"Aw, afraid again?" Chrissi sneered, taking a step towards me. "So typical of a little nothing like you, Crashice. So very typical. Why do people even talk to you? All you do is mess up all the time." I didn't reply, though I felt my cheeks burn. "That's what I thought. Luckily you'll be taken care of."

"Huh?" I asked, my brow raised.

Chrissi smirked, with Louisa standing next to her. "You'll see. Now, get lost," she dismissed me, like a teacher. "Oh, and have fun tonight, Alice."

A lot of my exhilaration had been replaced with anxiety by the time we got to my favourite island. However, on the contrary, I did get a rush of joy as soon as we landed on the island. The sky is a shining blue, full of puffy clouds. Ancient Greek temples surround us, made out of pale, crumbly stone. We landed next to the museum of Olympus, which is a perfect example of a temple.

I turned to Fierce Fox. "Let's go into the museum."

The museum has a picture on the wall, which is a cutscene of the three brothers- Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, battling the Titans. The brothers won, split the world up, and ruled different parts of it. Zeus, God of the heavens, believed he could make all bow before him. The other brothers refused, so Zeus swore to make them one day. I'd only seen Zeus from behind a computer screen, and although I knew how to beat him, it seemed a little scary that I was going to meet him in real life.

Once the cutscene finished we entered the statue room, which is full of statues of the many gods. I eyed the ones we were going to meet. I then paid attention to Poseidon, who had a starfish on his face. I pointed to him; Fierce Fox grabbed the starfish.

We exited after that and headed to the Grove of Temples, which is where some of the gods' temples are. Along the way, I explained to Fierce Fox about the island, and what we needed to do. We arrived at Apollo's temple, which is a beautiful temple made of cream walls and gold plated on such walls. Music symbols are decorated everywhere, reminding you who is the patron.

Inside, there are golden statues of lyres and the Muses, who are all cradling art-related objects. A huge picture of Apollo is in the middle; he's playing a lyre with a big grin. At the end of the temple, a basket of free reed pipes stands on a platform. I picked one up and let it fly into my inventory. Then I faced the statues, handed my reed pipe to Fierce Fox and explained what to do. She hopped up to the statues and played her flute, creating beautiful music for later reasons.

It was time for the Apple of Immortality. Chrissi's words started popping up in my head, which always seemed to happen when I was anxious. No, you can't think about those, I told myself. I gestured Fierce Fox to follow me towards the Tree of Immortality, which is surrounded by splendiferous bushland. Olive trees are planted in the pale green grass, standing next to a polished, white temple. One of the biggest trees I've ever seen is stuck in the ground there, its roots twisted through the earth. Signs and statues are all around it, convincing us to eat an apple.

Fierce Fox and myself arrived at the stump. A cracked, stone staircase leads into the tree. We climbed this staircase then jumped up some wooden platforms, heading into the tree. My feet made contact with the wooden ground, and I observed the area around me- snakes hanging from branches; sticky sap drooling from leaves. It almost sent my heart into overdrive seeing all this in real life... In real life...

Luckily you'll be taken care of. The voice rang in my head again, as I grabbed onto a dazed snake's body. It surprisingly spooked me, and I let go in fright. Fierce Fox gave me a look.

"Sorry," I said remorsefully. "Go ahead without me. But don't talk to anyone." My acquaintance gave me a nod and hopped off. I sighed and got to my shivering feet, feeling like I had when I first got to Poptropica. I didn't know why... I didn't like it...

With my arms feeling oddly limp, I slithered onto a snake's hanging body. With a frightful leap, I made it onto a platform, which is covered in sticky sap. I ran over a branch, then to a mushroom. My heart started racing as I apprehensively placed a foot on it. I almost screamed as I was flung into the sky, especially flipping in the air. I was taking little steps as I got to the edge of another branch. A snake is hanging down from the leaves, waiting for me to slither up it.

I crawled cautiously across the branch, nearing the snake. I knew I wasn't going to die (I hoped) but I was getting awful rushes of anxiety. My courage seemed to have been flushed down the toilet, and I didn't want to jump onto the snake.

"Alice! Where are you?" Fierce Fox called from a level above me. I sighed, feeling most idiotic. Closing my eyes, I jumped, relief flowing through me when my legs and arms automatically grabbed the snake. I slithered up, got to the top, and joined Fierce Fox. She gave me an unfavourable look. "What took you so long?" she asked sharply.

"Uh..." I pointed to a satyr, who was standing underneath a glowing, golden apple. "Talk to him. I'll help you find what he needs." Fierce Fox glanced at me for a moment, thinking, before she faced the satyr. Then, she rushed off again, looking for the satyr's honey. My controlling fear wouldn't let me jump too far, so I collected the nearby honey. I was pretty unavailing, to be honest. Fierce Fox did most of the work.

"Thanks for 'helping'." she grumbled, passing me. She spoke to the satyr; he gave her an invisible path to the apple. I knew what was going to happen when she got that apple, and I was not willing to face it. So, with frantic energy pulsing through my veins, I snuck into a bush, leaves scratching my skin. Through a small peep hole I could see exactly what was happening, in case of an emergency.

Fierce Fox stomped on the branch; the golden apple fell down. The satyr grimaced at it, then vanished in a puff of smoke. Suddenly, dark thunder clouds appeared, and lightning filled the sky. I felt a great sensation of strong power, and I cowered deeper into the bush.

"Who has picked an Apple of Immortality?" a powerful, enraged voice demanded. It was none other than Zeus, god of all gods. He has a grey, stormy beard; a red, flowing toga; carries a lighting bolt; he's at least twice my size. I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.

"Um, sorry. Do you want it back?" Fierce Fox asked sheepishly.

"I will grant you immortality. But first, you must perform a task." Zeus replied, almost glaring at Fierce Fox. I had a feeling he was expecting to see me. Again I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.

"And what if I refuse?" Fierce Fox courageously asked.

"Then all of Poptropica will feel my wrath." Zeus answered. Not good.

"Okay, then. What do I have to do?" Fierce Fox asked, lacing her fingers together. Zeus did not reply, and instead floated into the clouds. It flashed white a few times, leaving nothing behind except for a floating scroll. Fierce Fox wordlessly gazed at it; she needed the voice to tell her what to do.

However, I wanted to be completely sure Zeus wasn't around. Out of all the villains, Zeus- in my opinion- is probably the most dangerous. He almost got away with taking over Poptropica, twice. Plus, he managed to capture the other super villains and somehow get into their dreams. And since every villain knew who I was, including the queen of Arturus, I would've been surprised if Zeus didn't know too. And that was not a good thing.

Finally, I gave myself the thumbs up and crawled out of the bushes. Hesitantly, I grabbed the scroll. Fierce Fox stared at me.

"Hey, where'd you go?" she asked, raising her brow.

"Mission. We've got a mission." I replied flatly, feeling pricks down my spine. "Let's go."

We exited the tree. An old lady- who was standing near the temple- transformed into Athena, goddess of wisdom. Thanks to Poptropica game physics, Fierce Fox was forced to talk to her. I followed her, ignoring the lump in my throat. Athena smiled at us, and seemed especially happy to see me. She has short, black hair; wears a white chiton that covers her body; a gladiator helmet sits on her head; she wields a spear. She's taller than us- not as much as Zeus, but she's at least a head taller.

"Greetings, I am Athena, goddess of wisdom," she greeted, in a calm tone. "It is quite good to see you at last, Alice- we've all been waiting for you."

I raised my brow. "You have?"

Athena nodded. "Of course. You are the one they spoke of." Her voice, I realized, sounded awfully familiar. I've heard it somewhere before... I searched my sick head, trying to find the source. Then it hit me.

I held up my hand. "You're... That woman. You're that woman who spoke to me while I was unconscious... You helped me get to Fierce Fox... You've... You've been helping me." It all clicked.

Athena gently smiled. "But of course. You needed that help. Especially when it is so dangerous now. But to be fair, I was intervening a little too much. Perhaps my worries got the better of me? I don't know. But I did not want the other villains to get ahold of you- bad things would come upon Poptropica if they did."

"Bad things?" I questioned, my curiosity taking over. "Why does everyone want me? What's going on?" Questions seemed to burn.

"It is a long story, child," Athena replied, almost disconsolately. "I don't think it's safe to tell you now, for you have a journey ahead of you."

"But..." I stammered, feeling frustration with the lack of answers again. However, I wasn't going to yell at a goddess.

"Go," Athena said, gesturing Fierce Fox and I away. "You have a mission ahead," We turned to walk off, when Athena called, "Remember, look to the olive trees if you ever need my guidance."

Fierce Fox and I arrived at the Garden of Sphinx. It appeared to be a formerly-beautiful garden: rotting grass on stone platforms; a dried-up lake with cracked mud; cutlery and pottery in the cracked mud. A sphinx is standing on piles of broken human bones- we'll get back to her.

We needed to help the Sphinx's garden regain its beauty. And to do that, we needed to get the aqueducts working again. So, Fierce Fox climbed up the stone wall, which is made of pipes that carry water into the lake. The strange fear stopped me from climbing the wall. No matter how hard I tried, something kept me from jumping. But what? I wanted to punch something. As soon as I was airborne, fear totally took control. But why? I thought I was over that!

My useless self wouldn't budge, so I had to yell at Fierce Fox what to do, which seriously strained my voice. I could tell Fierce Fox wasn't satisfied with my lack of helping, and it put pressure on my feelings. But, she succumbed, and water flowed into the lake. The sphinx awoke. She- I must admit- made me a little scared. She is quite large, and has a feathery backside. Her lips are red, and behind them are sharp teeth. She has red claws, connected to lion-like paws. A bun of auburn hair is twisted on her head. She told Fierce Fox and I that fate awaits us. (1)

We took a rose from the Sphinx's garden, which had blossomed in the water- it was one of the five sacred objects. The next task was the Labyrinth. Before we got in there, we grabbed some pomegranates, which were for later. Then, using the reed pipe, we got past a locked door and went into the Minotaur's area.

The Minotaur's area is like a dungeon; we passed a statue of the Minotaur himself. The actual guy stands at the entrance of the Labyrinth, waiting for us.

"The Prophesied Hero arrives at last." the Minotaur said, gazing at me. Shivers crawled down my spine. Prophesied hero? Questions were everywhere. "What do you desire?" the Minotaur asked, in his gruff voice. He's at least twice my size, and covered in thick, brown fur. He has the figure of a human, yet he's shaped like a bull. A golden ring was hooked in his snout.

"Uh... T-the r-r-ring in your nose..." I answered, feeling intimidated. "Please..."

"You may be the Prophesied Hero, but I grant favours to no one unless they complete my Labyrinth. And that includes your friend." the Minotaur replied, gesturing to the entrance of the Labyrinth. I sighed and faced Fierce Fox. And so we trotted into the Labyrinth, my hands shivering.

Athena appeared as soon as we entered the labyrinth. She gave us a magic thread to help us through the maze. We started walking through the maze, golden thread trailing behind us. I jumped- well, a pathetic excuse for a jump- up the walls. Fierce Fox was way ahead of me, just like old times. Horrible old times.

"C'mon, Alice!" she called over her shoulder. I didn't move much faster. Especially when we got to sliding down the chains. Finally, we got to the first puzzle: counting the bones. For once in the entire island, I was actually helpful and did the puzzle. We continued after that, winding through the dark and stony labyrinth.

The second challenge was the scorpion. I squealed and tried to avoid it, but it hit me; pain surged through my body. Fear made me stressed out, and I couldn't jump properly. With much protest, Fierce Fox had to save the both of us. Thankfully, the maze part was over, and we got to the final challenge: hitting the red-eyed snake.

Green snakes peak out of a picture of the Minotaur, one of them with red, swirly eyes. I halved the picture so it'd be easier to smack. The snake appeared on my side, so I reached out and hit it. Fierce Fox did the same, and we managed to get past that stage. The Labyrinth was finished, so we exited and returned to the Minotaur.

"I can't believe you're still alive," the Minotaur observed, as we walked out. "I guess you are a bit of a hero after all."

"Yeah..." I said, biting my lip. "So, may I... please have the ring now?"

"It is yours." the Minotaur handed it to me, much to my relief. He gazed into my eyes before we turned around to leave. "Be careful, young heroine. Certain people can't be trusted."

"I-I know." I replied, flinching at 'heroine'.

We returned to the Grove of Temples, except we passed Apollo's temple and went to the edge of the cliff, much to my anxiety.

"So..." I laced my fingers together. "Hades or Poseidon?"

"Uh..." Fierce Fox observed the temples ahead of us. "Whose is who's?"

I weakly smiled. "That one down there is Hades', and the blue one is Poseidon's. Personally, I prefer Poseidon's. Hades' is a little... Well... Let's just say not as good-looking. And... well.. I have a bit of a bad feeling about Hades."

"Okay," Fierce Fox put her hands on her hips. "Poseidon's then."

We got to Poseidon's temple, which is made of blue alabaster and surrounded by a pool of water. The pillars are decorated like seashells, and sea-inspired designs are on the walls. A picture of Poseidon himself is on the roof. It's quite an exquisite temple, despite the graffiti on the walls, which I see in my world all the time. I sighed, fear tingling my nerves.

The temple's inside is just as stunning as the outside. A little door is at the end, next to a pillar. Fierce Fox, with my shaky orders, placed the starfish on the pillar. The door quite literally vanished, so we walked through to Poseidon's realm. His realm is basically a beach, with people chilling out on such beach. Two ladies are sitting underneath umbrellas, enjoying the pleasant weather.

Ahead of us is Aphrodite- a goddess. She has blonde hair in a bun, with roses sticking out of it. Her cheeks are covered in blush, and she has red lipstick on. A pink chiton with a red cape is stretched across her body. She was carrying a mirror in her hand.

"We'll talk to Aphrodite first," I said to Fierce Fox. "When we need to go somewhere... What she'll give us will make it easier." The two of us approached Aphrodite. "Hello," I said politely.

"Well well well, if it isn't the infamous hero!" Aphrodite laughed, grinning at me. "Goodness, has Athena been going on about you! I half-expected you to have superpowers, to be honest. But although you may be this amazing hero, I don't really believe you are. If you can prove to me you are what Athena says you are, you'll get my favour and something to help you with your mission."

"If I answer your quiz, you'll give me that mirror." I pointed to the mirror in her hand. I was smiling, but not about the mirror. I was smiling about the favour. Aphrodite raised her eyebrows.

"Hm, you are smart! But I think we need more proof," she said. "And did you say quiz? Well, smarty, that's exactly it! Good luck." The quiz is basically naming some of the gods. I've done it numerous times, so I easily passed it. Aphrodite was impressed. "Well, you've got my attention, Alice. Here you go." She handed me the mirror.

"Thank you," I dipped my head. Then I faced Fierce Fox, a stone at the pit of my stomach. "Ready to kick some sea butt?"

The swimming wasn't really the part that scared me, I discovered. Neither was grabbing the pearl from the shell. It was fighting the Hydra. And it was then I really stuffed up.

We got into the Hydra's cave; it viciously hissed at us. It's a pale, ocean-green creature, with five heads with mouths full of fangs. It lunged at me straight away; I narrowly avoided the blow with a scream. Fierce Fox leaped into the air, as a head flung itself at her. Luckily, she dodged it.

I took a few good steps backwards, searching for bravery to help me attack the Hydra. Not much came. Come on! I told myself. Suddenly, I saw Fierce Fox jump forward again. The hydra growled and bared its teeth. It was heading straight for her, its eyes blazing with fury. Fierce Fox was flung to the ground in a painful knock. The hydra reared above her, ready to strike again. It did; Fierce Fox was bashed into the wall. The hydra was approaching her again.

Save her, idiot! A voice in my head said. You have to save Fierce Fox! You're the hero, after all! I got to my feet, and attempted to clench my fist. But my hand felt feeble and weak, and fear made me shiver. So typical of a little nothing like you, Crashice. Chrissi's voice surfaced in my head. That horrible voice made me stop in my tracks, and fear totally took over. I couldn't save my Poptropican while she was getting hurt. So very typical. All you do is mess up all the time.

I didn't know why everyone thought I was a hero.

Fierce Fox had to save herself, because I was so redundant. And with my instruction, she had to grab the Hydra scale. With the help of Aphrodite's mirror, we left Poseidon's realm. Fierce Fox finally lost her temper.

"What's wrong with you?!" she growled, in her fierce tone. "You're not even helping anymore! You're acting like you did when you first came here!"

"Well of course!" I shot back, tears building at the corners of my eyes. "I'm too cowardly and useless to do anything, aren't I?"

"But... you weren't acting like this before! Why are you now?" Fierce Fox demanded, clenching her fist.

"Because it's the truth! I'm a useless nothing!" I sniffled, my voice choking up. Fierce Fox raised her brow.

"I don't want this Alice. I want the old Alice. The good Alice." she sighed. We didn't speak anymore.

We headed to Hades' temple, which is far less appealing than Poseidon's temple. It's made out of human skeletons, and coloured a gravelly grey. Torches spewing out green flames are at the front, and graffiti was all over the temple.

"Can you help me clean this graffiti? I'll pay you one drachma." a boy- who was standing outside the temple- asked. Fierce Fox and I nodded. We cleaned off all the stupid graffiti, making me wonder who put it there. According to people on Mythology Island, it was Zeus.

"Thanks for your help! May Hades look favorably upon you." the boy said, handing us a drachma, or a Greek coin. I nodded, and faced the entrance to Hades' temple. I sighed and went inside.

Unfortunately, it's not anymore pleasant inside the temple. There are grave stones embedded in the walls, and skulls with alighted, green candles. Hades had always been my least favourite god, second to Zeus. His realm gave me the creeps, and I think I had a nightmare or two about it. So of course I wasn't thrilled about going into his realm. I kinda had a feeling he'd be evil, too. Have you seen Hercules? I wasn't supposed to trust anyone, anyway.

Fierce Fox placed the pomegranates on the altar, and the door to Hades' realm opened. Unlike Poseidon's, there are no people hanging out. It's just a gritty cliff, with skeletons in the walls. Beyond the cliff is an extremely long and dark drop. I couldn't help sweat-beading as soon as I saw it.

"Uh... Foxes first?" I asked, gesturing to the drop. Fierce Fox gave me a look. She seemed to know I didn't want to jump. So she grabbed my arm without my consent and leaped into the darkness, ignoring my frail screams. If you're wondering about the experience... remember when I fell off the bridge on Early Poptropica? Now multiply that experience by about twenty, and make it much darker and scarier. Not even close to pleasant.

Finally, the drop finished. I landed on another rocky cliff, completely alive- contrary to my fear. I didn't even earn a scratch. Beneath is the River Styx- a grand, glowing, green river. A man with pale skin, a grey beard and green-skull insignia clothing sits in a boat, ready for passengers. Fierce Fox and I climbed into his boat. I was praying that he wasn't going to set some sort of death trap for us.

"Hello... Charon..." I asked, my voice cracking ever so slightly.

"Greetings, prophesied hero," Charon replied, recognizing me too. "I believe you desire to cross the River Styx? It's very dangerous, even for you."

"Well... I-I kind of h-h-have to..." I said, suddenly realizing how nervous I was. Fierce Fox didn't even look at me. Charon nodded, and the journey begun. And it didn't go any better than the incident with the Hydra.

I tried my hardest to ignore the blackened walls and deathly stalactites. Speaking of stalactites, one fell at my head. I narrowly dodged it, my shaky hand grabbing Fierce Fox. A flaming skull flew at us; we ducked. Then, a scary-looking crocodile peeked its head out from the river, sending us to the back of the boat. We quickly got up again and moved to the front. Another stalactite fell down. Before I could breath, it suddenly knocked Fierce Fox. She was flung from the boat; I frantically reached out to grab her. But my grip slipped, and she fell into the river.

"Fierce Fox... No!" I cried, as she vanished. My heart skipped a bit, and I almost started panicking. The memory of the fight we had flashed in my head, and I felt tears stung my eyes. She is fine, a voice in my head, a man's voice said. Then I heard another voice. Yes, fine, with Hades! It sounded like the man's voice again, although it sounded a bit like Zeus', too. I felt a shiver up my spine. Fine with Hades? Did that mean... No...

I wanted to go right up to Hades and force him to give Fierce Fox back. I knew he wasn't on my side! I thought, as the River Styx finished up ahead. But why would he take her? I guess he wants me like all the other villains. I got out of the boat, and onto the barren land. A skeleton of possibly a dinosaur is up ahead, and above it is Hades' throne room. But before all that, I had to deal with Cerberus. The problem was, I didn't have the reed pipe.

"Alice," a voice said behind me. It was Fierce Fox, almost appearing scared. "I got out! I escaped. I'm okay."

"Oh my goodness!" I cried, filled with joy. She's okay! She's alive. I almost throttled her with an embrace. She awkwardly pushed me away. "That really scared me! I can't believe Hades took you! How'd you escape?"

"There's no time for explanations," Fierce Fox held up a hand. "We need to get the whisker and get out of here." I nodded and took Fierce Fox's reed pipe. I faced Cerberus, who was growling. His food bowl was full of human bones, which was not very comforting. I played a tune on the pipe (learnt from the Muses), and he fell asleep. Carefully, I plucked off one of his whiskers. Then I pulled out the mirror, and escaped the Underworld. I was not in the mood for sticking around there.

We returned to the area near the Tree of Immortality. I knew what was going to happen next- Zeus was going to betray us and take the five sacred objects. Athena was waiting for us, underneath a tree.

"I see you have the sacred objects," she said, gazing at us. "I have learnt something about them. They are dangerous!"

"Yes," I replied. "Whoever wields them will rule all of Poptropica." I gulped. "And Zeus is going to take them."

Right on cue, lightning filled the sky, and the world flashed. I yelped and ducked behind an olive tree, nearby Athena. Zeus appeared, and started cackling.

"You are mostly right, Alice!" he grinned, his red chiton flowing. Before I could breath, he took the sacred items away. "But there is more I want!"

"If it's me, I'm not for sale!" I cried in desperation, turning to run away.

"You are going to run?" Zeus cackled. "Aren't you the prophesied hero? Or do your friends have to fend for themselves?" He raised his fist. "Don't worry, I won't take you," He suddenly grabbed Fierce Fox, ignoring her screams. I gasped in horror. "By midnight all of Poptropica will be under my control, and you'll never see Fierce Fox again! If you turn yourself in to me by then, I will release her safely. But if you don't, I will kill her!"

"What?!" I screeched, my heart pounding. "No! You can't do that! Why are you taking Fierce Fox and not me?! I'm right here!"

"I could," Zeus gazed into my eyes. "But knowing that Fierce Fox will be alive will always keep you on my side. You heroes always have your weaknesses- yours is cowardice." Then he disappeared with Fierce Fox, lightning flashing in the sky. I stood there for a moment, completely dumbfounded.

"Oh Athena," I faced the goddess behind me. "What am I going to do? Zeus is right- I am a coward," Then I bit my lip. "I couldn't save Fierce Fox before. She was yelling at me, for a good reason. I'd yell at myself, too. I've just been slacking around, caught in my own fear. Why does everyone keep calling me a 'prophesied hero'? I'm not a hero! I'm just a worthless nobody who won't be able to save her friend. Or Poptropica. I thought I was... But I'm not."

"Alice..." Athena looked into my eyes. "I don't believe your weakness is cowardice- it is failure. You lost something in the past- not just your leg. That leg is a reminder of what you lost, and so it haunts you to this day. You only find solace in this world, Poptropica. And, when you arrive here, you lose that haunting memory, like when you play this 'game'. Your fear you started to overcome. But something stopped you today. I believe that was something in your world- fear of getting hurt again."

"I..." I bit my lip. Is it time to tell the truth? "Well... in my world... I'm not treated very well... All these people, they've been bullying me and making my life a misery. A-and it feels like they're right. I... I can't save anyone..."

"You can, child," Athena persisted sympathetically. "Remember when you saved Fierce Fox on Astro Knights?"

"I wouldn't have been able to if you didn't help me..." I sighed, shaking my head. "Besides, there always has to be someone else to save me. Fierce Fox had to help me that day. She always has to."

Athena shook her head. "That's sometimes true. But think of what you can do. You tried to help Fierce Fox- and you were brave enough to tell her the truth. You pretended to be another Poptropican to protect her feelings. And in your world, you use motivation everyday to go to school, even though it harms you. You do have courage- and it will come out when you need it most. That's why you were chosen."

"'Chosen'?" I echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid there is not much time to explain," Athena replied, staring at the sky. "You must go- speak to my brother, Hercules. You need his help! Then you must get to my uncles- they can help you."

"Got it!" I said, turning around. Then I looked over my shoulder. "And Athena?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks." I headed to Herc's Hero Hut.

Herc's Hero Hut is a white, marble building with a Greek feel to it. Girls are sitting around fancy tables, all wearing chitons. It's decorated with signs, saying things like 'Meet Hercules the great'. The actual Hercules was at the end of the room. He was about a head taller than me; had mud-brown hair, similar to Elvis Presley's; belts were strapped across his chest, connected to his light brown skirt.

"Hercules." I approached said hero. He gazed into my eyes.

"Oh, you're that hero," he said grudgingly. "What do you want?"

"I need your help," I replied, folding my arms. "Before you say anything, your dad's pretty much going to take over Poptropica by midnight. Aphrodite gave me a mirror so you don't have to walk anywhere. We can just teleport."

"To where?" Hercules asked, tapping his chin.

"Throne rooms of the major gods. The doors are blocked; I need you to open them." I answered, praying he would succumb.

"Well... Autograph sales have been slow lately... Let's do it!" Hercules said brightly. I gave him a nod and whipped out Aphrodite's mirror. I pressed the purple section, which has a picture of a trident. I wasn't sure if I wanted to meet Hades straight away. I had a feeling he was going to capture me or something, and if I had Poseidon's trident, I might be able to escape.

We teleported to the middle of the sea, the opposite side of the Hydra's cave. A rock platform was beneath us; it was loosely placed in. I gestured to it; Hercules swiftly smashed it with his foot. I swam down to the entrance of Poseidon's throne room, which welcomed me with seashell pillars. The inside has fish statues spewing out water, and grey pillars with fish statues. Tridents are on the lower wall, dipped in a pool of water.

The god of the sea himself was standing on a seashell throne, with tridents sticking out the side. Seashell statues are on both sides. Poseidon has an ocean-blue beard, which moves around like seaweed in the ocean. His skin is baby-blue, and he isn't wearing anything over his chest, aside from a starfish necklace. A trident- the trident I was going to use, was gripped firmly in his hand. He's also at least twice my size, like Zeus.

"Hello, Poseidon." I greeted deferentially. After all, this was one of the major gods- not someone you wanna mess around with.

"I know why you have come, prophesied hero," Poseidon replied. "My brother Zeus is mad with power."

"And he wants me really badly- so he's taking me in the worst way," I sighed, shaking my head. "Will you help me?"

"I cannot leave the sea," Poseidon said, which was what I expected. "But I will give you my trident to aid you."

"Thank you," I grinned faintly, as the trident went into my inventory. I bit my lip. "Just a question… is every god except Zeus on my side?"

"You will have to find out for yourself, I'm afraid," Poseidon answered, much to my dismay. "Now go. Poptropica requires saving."

I apprehensively sighed when we teleported to Hades' realm. What if he traps me or something? I thought. A boulder was in front of his throne room's entrance. Hercules pushed the 'little pebble' out of the way, revealing the door. I shivered at the pomegranate designs, wondering what would happen when I entered the throne room. But although I was nervous, Hades had taken Fierce Fox, and would've gotten away with it if Fierce Fox hadn't escaped.

So, with a mix of anger and fear, I entered the throne room. It's a very dark throne room, with a green tinge. There are... Interesting statues, like dragons and bats. Skull candles are glowing in the pale light. Half-expecting something to grab me, I took a step. I took a few more steps, approaching the throne. It's made of green metal, with horns sticking out the side.

Hades himself was standing on the throne. He has albino-white skin, and shoulder-length black hair. A small, black beard is on his face, and he carries a white staff with skulls on it. He's wearing olive-green robes, covering his entire body. He didn't exactly look friendly or approachable, but he didn't look like he was going to capture me either. I felt my anger and fear build.

"H-hello, Hades." I greeted, not as nicely as I did with Poseidon. I felt my hand slither to my inventory, almost reaching for Poseidon's trident.

"The prophesied hero," Hades replied. "I know why you have come. My brother Zeus is very dangerous."

"And so are you!" I blurted, my anger taking control. "You took Fierce Fox! Almost killed her, if she hadn't escaped! And.. you're probably plotting my demise right now!"

Hades appeared horrified. "'Took Fierce Fox'? I said she was fine! I regenerated her next to Cerberus. It was my brother Zeus who told you that information- he was trying to trick you."

"What?" I breathed, raising my brow. "But..."

Hades wasn't finished. "In fact, I have been trying to help you!"

"You have?" I gasped, suddenly getting weird feelings.

"Yes," Hades said, glaring at me. "I do not normally help heroes, for they can often be arrogant. Just look at Hercules. You? You're not like them. You are the one the prophecy spoke of, after all. You were a coward- I must say. I almost did not believe you were a hero. But I kept watching you, unlike the other gods, who wanted to wait until they met you or you did something impressive. And it seemed you needed help. If it wasn't for my earthquake, the Black Widow would've got you."

"That earthquake... You did that? But I thought you could only control the Earth on Mythology Island!" I gasped, lacing my fingers together.

"Although I don't rule the Earth on that island, that does not mean I can't control it," Hades said, like it should've been obvious. "That boy who gave you the application form on Reality TV Island. That was one of my minions, disguised as a Poptropican." This is nuts, I thought.

"All this time..." I bit my lip. "But I thought you were the bad guy!"

"Often people do," Hades sighed. "If I really was the 'bad guy', I wouldn't be giving you this to save Poptropica." He took off his crown, which is made out of human bones, much to my distaste. He gave it to me, and it joined Poseidon's trident.

"Thanks," I said. Then I raised an eyebrow. "I still don't know if I trust you or not."

"Maybe not," Hades shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know if you will be a good hero."

"Me neither. I'm not a good friend either, hence letting my friend almost die," I replied, realizing the truth in my head. "Anyway, sorry for thinking you were evil. I should've known better, considering you're not really a villain."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm used to it," Hades grumbled. "Now, you must go. You have Poptropica to save."

"Thanks again, Hades!" I replied, turning my back. I looked back. "Wait... did you cause that earthquake on Nabooti Island?"

Hades shook his head. "I've caused no earthquakes on that island."

"Alright..." I said uncomfortably, leaving. It felt a little weird that I'd just had a full conversation with the Lord of the Underworld. Not something you do everyday. It answered a few more questions, but not all of them. For one, WHAT IS THE PROPHECY EVERYONE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT?! The question burned in my head as I faced Hercules. "Don't worry Fierce Fox, I'm coming."

The mirror teleported us to the front of Zeus' realm. A golden gate stood in our path, with a large padlock. Hercules bashed through it with his mighty strength. We passed the busted gate. We came to a garden, with a Greek-style roof. A large, green snake peeped its head from the ground and wiggled around. I gasped.

"It's just a pesky snake. I'll take care of it." Hercules assured me. He walked towards it.

"Hercules, no! Don't touch that thing!" I cried desperately. Too late. Hercules reached down to the snake, when it suddenly transformed into Medusa. She has the same coloured skin as Hades, and withering, green snakes flowing from her head.

"You picked the wrong snake to mess with, buddy!" Medusa growled, her head steaming, literally. Hercules' body flashed, and he was transformed into stone. I felt a little sorry for him, despite him saying that he always wanted to be a statue on Mount Olympus. I passed him and came underneath Mount Olympus, which towers above my head.

A man that owns a stall was near me. He has a blue beard, that seems like it was created by the wind. His skin is baby-blue, and a leather bag hangs over his shoulder. Bags like his are hanging on the wooden stall- bags of wind. I paid him a drachma; he handed me one. I brought out the bag, and peeled off the top. A breeze danced out, and carried me swiftly into the air, dropping me onto a rocky, but flat cliff.

I have to admit- nervous was an understatement. I was just about to face the god of gods. That day was definitely interesting- I'd fought the Hydra, had a conversation with the Lord of the Underworld, found out I was some sort of prophesied hero, answered a quiz about the gods, and crossed the River Styx. And now I was about to fight the god of the gods. Lucky me.

The first thing that welcomed me into Zeus' realm was puffy, pink clouds. It was almost pitch black, and I could just see. I leaped in front of a statue of Zeus, and a light switched on. I repeated this for four other Zeus statues; a spotlight shimmered down from the sky, and the real Zeus appeared, hovering in front of a golden, glowing throne.

"So, you dared to come!" he boomed, clutching his fancy lighting bolt. "Are you going to turn yourself over or will your friend be annihilated?"

"Actually, I have a better idea!" I declared boldly. "Let's have a battle- if I win, then you'll surrender, give back the sacred objects, and hand over Fierce Fox. If you win, then you can take over Poptropica and I'll join you."

Zeus made a thoughtful expression. Then he laughed. "Very well! You have yourself a deal, prophesied hero! But you are a fool! You cannot defeat me! You don't even have any powers!"

"We'll see about that!" I yelled back, grabbing Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident. I placed the crown on my head and gripped the trident. Suddenly, I felt power surge through my body, like electric currents. My height increased, until I was as tall as Zeus. Sparks of electricity flew off my body, and faintly glowed. I waved Poseidon's trident, and pink clouds appeared beneath my feet.

Zeus growled. "Curse my brothers! Once this is over, I will have you all kneeling beneath my feet!"

I felt a little cocky, as I can be at times. "We'll see about that, grandpa!" Bad mistake. Zeus lunged at me with a huge lightning bolt. My clouds lifted me above it. Using Poseidon's trident, I shot a few bolts of my own, hitting the god. He growled and starting glowing white. Balls of electric power formed around him; they chased after me.

I floated around in the sky, avoiding the balls of power. I countered this attack with more bolts from Poseidon's trident. Zeus deflected those and turned transparent again. He charged straight for me; I dodged him with a faint squeal. His next attack was sending out a wave of lightning bolts; one hit me with a stab of pain. After that, he was vulnerable, so I hit him with a gazillion bolts.

Zeus cringed in pain, and glowed transparent again. The balls began to form around him; they soon started chasing after me. I yelped as one hit me, and one of my clouds vanished. I quickly flew around, searching for more clouds, when suddenly Zeus charged at me with full throttle. And then I only had one cloud.

"One more hit and you are finished, mortal!" Zeus cackled, as I desperately flew around. I shot a bolt at him, but of course he countered this with another lightning bolt. Then I did something extremely reckless and stupid.

I grabbed onto Zeus- I mean literally- and started blowing bolts in his face. Eventually he glowed white and shocked me off. Thanks to Ex Machina, I landed on a passing cloud. Zeus wanted revenge on me for grabbing onto him and rapid fired lightning bolts. I cried and flew up with my lone cloud, collecting a few more clouds. Zeus needed to be hit just a few more times- grabbing onto him had been really effective as well as dangerous.

So I went full steam ahead and flowed around, waiting for Zeus to become vulnerable. When he did, I went ballistic and bombarded him with lighting bolts.

"You never were my favourite god anyway." I smiled, once he'd been defeated.

"Curse you, Alice!" Zeus yelled, cringing and floating. "Take the items and your pesky friend back!" The five sacred items returned to my inventory, and Fierce Fox appeared with a flash of lighting. I was beyond overjoyed to see her. Zeus glared at me. "You have created an enemy, prophesied hero! One day I will have revenge, and you won't win so easily!"

I took off Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident, my legs taking me to Athena and Fierce Fox.

"Fierce Fox! You're alive!" I cried, almost throttling her with a hug for a second time.

"Thanks..." Fierce Fox chuckled, gently pushing me away.

"Hey," I said softly. "Sorry about before... All that arguing stuff. The truth is... It's just people in my world... They're messing with me again... And it stresses me out. Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry 'bout it." Fierce Fox patted my head, and I felt my heart leap with joy. Athena, meanwhile, smiled.

"Well done, Alice. You saved Poptropica!" she said cheerfully.

"Thanks. It's what heroes do," I replied, in a joking tone. It was only then I realized how happy I was to know that Fierce Fox wasn't in danger anymore- and Zeus was defeated, at least for the time being. But something was still on my mind. "But what about this.. Prophecy stuff?"

Athena took a deep breath. "It is a long story, child. But I bet you've wondered how you are getting to this 'world'."

"Of course," I said. "I mean, it's not something that happens to all humans."

"It is about time you know," Athena laced her fingers together. "A... little while ago, a prophecy arose. It said that a hero from another world would come to Poptropica, and help an ordinary Poptropican complete islands. This hero... Was said to do great things, and be quite valuable. Us gods were the first to hear it, although we did not know much. It soon spread to other Poptropica islands, and became quite popular. A lot of the major villains began searching for this hero, including Zeus, who apparently got in contact with people from your world. When the hero- you- arrived, nobody knew it was you, not even us. Then, on 24 Carrot island, we got signals from Dr. Hare, and he reported about a girl who seemed to know everything. That's when we knew the hero had come. We watched over you from then, overseeing your actions. Some paid more attention than others. I paied attention, and so did Zeus- he is interested in things like this. Hades also paid attention, much to my surprise. But the prophecy did say that some- even the unexpected- would be helpful. Then, the other villains attempted to capture you- we could not let that happen. I admit, I didn't expect that earthquake from Hades- but yet again, Counterfeit Island isn't too far from here. Same goes for Reality Television. And now you are here, proving yourself to be a hero."

"Whoa..." I breathed, trying to take it all in. Athena gazed at my eyes.

"You should return home- I believe you will need time to think," she said, holding out the medallion. "But before you do, I would like you to have something," She handed me a little necklace, which has the symbols of the three brothers. "If you need help from any god, just say their name and clutch this necklace. If they are listening, or if a god is nearby, this necklace will glow. We are not really supposed to intervene- this is your prophecy, your job, Alice. But just in case..."

"Thank you. Thank you very much, Athena." I said gratefully. I clutched the necklace as my screen flashed white. But I still had one more question- what's up with the people in my world?


	16. Skullduggery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to GiovanniGo for the idea of Alice and Captain Crawfish sword-fighting!

I groaned as we flew over to Skullduggery Island.

"What's up?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I sighed. "We just had this whole kerfuffle with Zeus, and now we're meeting another villain who'll probably want to kidnap and kill me. I just want a break!"

"Well, this next villain isn't a god, right?" Fierce Fox asked, shrugging. "Surely they won't be that bad."

I bit my lip. "No. He's not a god. But he's still a super villain." Our discussion was cut short when the blimp docked at Fort Ridley. The island has the appearance of probably a former happy and bright village; now there's just destruction and mess. Even the sign is trailing smoke. The dock itself has a gaping hole, and most of the roofs also have holes. This is the work of none other than a gang of pirates.

We crossed a bridge which stands over a small canyon, that's filled with rocks and water. Underneath it, someone threw a coin, so I grabbed it. I spent it at a run-down shop, which has also been damaged. I picked up a broken mirror, which the shopkeeper said I could have. I also bought a bag of chicken feed; I gave it to a man standing with some chickens. To thank me, he gave me a chicken, which went into my inventory. If this wasn't Poptropica, I'd be in serious trouble with the RSPCA.

Anyway, with Fierce Fox following me, I handed the chicken to a farmer, so it could eat all the bugs on the farmer's crop. In return, the farmer gave me a blue candle. Fierce Fox and I climbed up a rocky mountain to the governor's office, which is an old, brick building. The governor and his assistant were standing at the back, next to a faintly glowing candle and a letter. The assistant eyed me, in a rather disturbing way. I had a pretty bad feeling.

I swapped the candle with our blue candle, forming a gentle blue light. It revealed a hidden passage on the letter, which mentioned something about Skullduggery Island and a treasure. The governor told us to go and find this treasure, which Fierce Fox and I obliged to. We exited the building and headed to the dock. I climbed to the top of the lighthouse and peered through a telescope. Fierce Fox wagged the broken mirror, making it flash. We got a flash back from a raft, and it came towards the island.

The merchant on board explained that he'd been robbed by pirates, ship wrecked, and the raft was the only thing keeping him afloat. He offered his raft to us. We accepted it and climbed aboard the floating wooden planks. His remaining crew were there, ready for more adventures. They treated Fierce Fox like the captain, because well, the medallion would always go to her. But they were nice to me, too.

Our boat set sail across the sea, me directing where to go. The water rushed under our feet, and in the distance I saw puffy clouds. I touched my little necklace, which shimmered in the sunlight. I closed my eyes and prayed that Poseidon, since we were technically in his realm, was giving us a safe journey. I assumed he was watching us, which felt both creepy yet comforting.

The first stop on our journey was Golden Harbour, which has an Arabic feel to it. The dock is red and rocky, and most of the island is like a desert. I resisted the urge to sing Arabian Nights and rushed across the desert sand. Fierce Fox followed.

"Okay," I faced her, "Do me a favour and light up those lanterns: four, two and one." I pointed to the hanging, Arabic-style lanterns. Fierce Fox did such thing, and from under an arched doorway, a piece of paper fell down. I grabbed it, getting the first piece of the map. I thanked my partner for her assistance and returned to the boat.

While sailing over the sea, I spotted floating shipwreck. Our raft sailed towards it; cargo filled our deck. I grinned, as our ship docked the next island: Pirate Harbor. It's a dark island with skull signs; rocky cliffs; residential pirates. A large, rock skull is in the middle of the island, its head covered in grass. We went under it and climbed up a wooden platform, which is standing on rocky, smooth slopes.

Fierce Fox, with my instruction, grabbed the Cannon Starter Kit from a roof of a building. Meanwhile, I pushed a barrel full of explosives off a ledge; it landed in a pool of water surrounding the island. Leaping in the water myself, I shoved the explosives underneath the skull. One of skull's teeth was gold, and lodged firmly in the stone jaw. Fierce Fox was at a cannon, ready to fire. I swam out the way of a cannon ball soaring through the air, which landed on the explosive. It exploded; the tooth fell off the jaw, revealing a hanging piece of paper. I snatched it up, then we set sail.

I think Zeus decided to pay us a visit because the sea was full of storm clouds. Our ship, in a very slow and painful way, moved around the clouds. The good part was we managed to avoid them, and arrived at the next island, Dragon Cove. Dragon Cove is a Chinese-style island, with red temples and dragon statues in the water. The island's floor is made of cobblestone, and most people wear rice hats.

In the water, a dragon statue's head was peeking out. I jumped on it; its tail rose up. A mallet was on that, so I grabbed it. Fierce Fox, with my instruction, pushed an old guy sitting on a crate across the ground, until he was close to a large, bronze bell. I smashed the bell with the mallet, and a fish leaped out of the water and landed on the man's fishing rod. The man was grateful and handed us a piece of paper, which was in the mouth of the fish.

After a relatively peaceful journey across the sea, we docked Bouffant Bay. Like Dragon Cove, it's the middle of the day, and the majority of it is stone. However, there's a little beach at the front, and the buildings are more of an English-style, rather than Chinese. I stopped in front of a little brick house with three hanging ferns, Fierce Fox following.

I nudged the one hanging on the right, Fierce Fox hit the left, and we both hit the middle. A piece of paper drifted out of the fern, landing on the ground. I picked it up, giving Fierce Fox a nod.

"One more map piece." I said, with a smile.

Unfortunately our next journey on the sea wasn't so pleasant. A ship starting following us around, shooting cannon balls.

"Fierce Fox, is that your ship or a piece of smelly driftwood?" the ship, whose owner- Smelly Gabe- yelled to us. (1) His ship, with a large black flag, kept chasing us around, shooting non-stop cannon balls. His ship was at least twice our size, much to my fear. Its cannon balls were totally crushing us, and we couldn't get to the next island properly. Long story short, we were going to die.

Suddenly, a wave- as in tsunami wave- formed in the sea. It rose up, foam spewing everywhere. It crashed onto Smelly Gabe's ship, pretty much crushing him and saving us. Cargo floated up, free for all. I felt relief flood my body as we collected the salvage from the water. My necklace flashed a pale purple. I grinned. Thanks, Poseidon.

We arrived at Parrot Port, which is the most beautiful- and tropical- island in my opinion. I leaped across a sandy beach, then climbed a rocky platform. Fierce Fox followed me onto a grassy hill, which has many poorly-built houses and produce. I sent Fierce Fox to a little hotel to pick up a cracker, while I spoke to a parrot who was standing on a crate.

"Squawk! Jump in the sea, then come find me!" the parrot squawked, flying off. I turned around and returned to the dock. I leaped into the ocean, the cool water spraying on my body. I climbed out, and spotted the parrot on a poorly-built building. I joined the parrot on the wooden windowsill, ignoring the cracks in the walls. "Squawk! Clog the vent, then see where I went!" the parrot cried, flying off again.

I jumped over to the neighbour building, which has a vent that leaks smoke into the air. I slammed my foot on it, clogging up the smoke. Then, I walked across the roof, landing on a palm tree at the end of it. The parrot was sitting on the leaves.

"Squawk! To the old tower go, and find a pirate I know!" he squawked, before taking to the skies. I hopped off the palm tree, running into Fierce Fox.

"Go to that old tower," I told her, pointing to a tall tower. "And use your cracker." She did such thing, and the pirate standing there was reunited with his parrot. He gave Fierce Fox the final piece of the map, which she gave to me. I pieced it with the other map parts, and Skullduggery island appeared. However, we weren't going there just yet. Instead, our ship sailed (while avoiding a whirlpool) to Dragon Cove. I faced Fierce Fox as we docked.

"Now," I said. "It's time to start trading."

After a good few hours of trading, buying boats and crew, we were finally ready to take on Captain Crawfish. (2) We'd recently bought the Phoenix Warbird, the grandest ship of them all.

The massive boat is shaped like a magnificent, wooden phoenix. The sails are coloured like fire, and seem to spew off awesomeness. The hull has a bird head, which has a golden bill, matching the golden windows.

The crew were standing proudly on the ship, ready to go to Skullduggery Island. Fierce Fox was the captain, by the looks on their faces. I was the deputy, which was good enough for me. Our ship crossed the seas, approaching Skullduggery Island, the smallest island of all. Suddenly, a message flashed in front of my eyes, saying 'It's Captain Crawfish! All hands on deck!'

"Alice!" Fierce Fox called, as Captain Crawfish's ship approached. "Hide somewhere. You said he's one of the super villains, right?"

I bit my lip, "Good point... Just... shoot cannonballs non-stop at him, until he's destroyed." Fierce Fox gave me a nod, as I hid behind some cargo. I saw occasional cannon balls soar in, and smoke arise. But the ship never sunk. I felt a little cowardly. I mean, I know I was a hero and all and I guess I was supposed to 'help', but I was not in the mood for meeting another villain, especially since yesterday.

Fierce Fox peeked her head down from the deck, "We defeated him, Alice! You can come up now!" I nodded, and climbed out of the little area. I directed our ship to return to Fort Ridley.

When we got there, Fierce Fox and I raced through the island, and back to the governor. He was still clutching his scroll, and most overjoyed to see us. Although I was happy to see him likewise, I noticed his assistant- and Captain Crawfish's spy- was absent.

"You've defeated Captain Crawfish!" the governor exclaimed. "And we owe you our gratitude. Now, take this map and special shovel to unbury the treasure!" Fierce Fox took those, and I thanked him. We exited and got back onto our ship.

"This is our last sail, I promise." I assured Fierce Fox, as we climbed aboard.

"I'm not tired or bored." Fierce Fox laughed at me. Then it hit me that Poptropicans could withstand much more than us humans. Fierce Fox was still as fresh as she was when I first met her- scratch that, created her. No wonder I hadn't died in the Underworld.

Anyway, we docked Skullduggery island. I got a nervous feeling, like I had in the last island. Skullduggery island is covered in mist, and the sky is pitch black. It's basically one large beach; rocks and palm trees burst from the sand. I knew Captain Crawfish was going to come, and I didn't want to face him. But I did want to help Fierce Fox.

"I'll help you dig up the treasure," I said to Fierce Fox. "Then when Captain Crawfish comes, I'm hiding. Good plan?" She gave me a favorable nod. So, together, underneath a palm tree, we started digging.

An hour later, we uncovered the treasure. It was piles of riches and gold, probably worth millions. As strong as Poptropicans are, we couldn't carry the whole load without the assistance of the crew. I wasn't worried about Captain Crawfish anymore, because normally the digging takes two hours- we only took an hour, so he wouldn't be there. Oh boy was I wrong.

As soon as we turned around, Fierce Fox and I ran smack-bang into Captain Crawfish, who wields his sharp, gleaming sword. He has a golden peg leg; red pirate hat with feathers; an eye patch; a red vest with a white neck-cuff; a scar under his cheek. His beard was brown, and his face expressed a twisted scowl.

"Well well well…" he spoke, in gristly voice. "The infamous hero."

"D-don't even think about k-k-kidnapping me..." I replied bitterly, clasping a hand over my necklace, though my voice shook in fear.

"Kidnap you?" Captain Crawfish laughed cruelly. "I have a deal instead for you, girl."

"You're n-not getting the t-treasure either!" I yelled back, although my voice cracked.

"Listen to my deal!" Captain Crawfish thundered. "I am challenging you to a duel," He held up his sword. "A sword fight."

"A sword fight?" I repeated, gulping.

"Yes," Captain Crawfish said, with a sly grin. "If you win, the treasure's yours, and I'll leave you alone. If not? You and the treasure will be mine, lad."

"What if I refuse?" I asked, my hands shaking. Captain Crawfish's crew surrounded me, holding out their swords and scowls. Even better, Fierce Fox was nowhere in sight. Shivers soared down my spine like fighter jets. I bit my lip. "But I don't have a weapon!" Or any skills! I mentally added.

Captain Crawfish scratched his beard. "Aye, I must agree it's unfair that you don't have a weapon." He gestured at one of his crew members, and they handed him a sword. He passed it to me.

"Thanks..." I said, a little surprised that he actually gave me a weapon. "If I win, can I keep this?"

Captain Crawfish slyly smirked. "You won't win. No one beats Captain Crawfish at sword-fighting!"

I got a cocky feeling, and a little arrogant. "I'll have you know that I recently defeated the immortal King of the Gods, singlehandedly. Plus, I'm the prophesied hero, and even the Lord of the Underworld has taken an interest in me. Are you so sure that you'll win?"

Captain Crawfish scowled and swung his sword at me. I leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade. Then again, I thought, I don't know how to sword fight. Captain Crawfish swung at me again; I dodged. Right, let's try, I thought. I swung my sword like an idiot. Thank the gods, because I actually managed to slice a feather off Captain Crawfish's hat.

I swung my sword again, but this time Captain Crawfish avoided the attack. He countered my blow by bringing his sword down on me; I leaped out the way with a yelp. I can't tell you how terrified was. I didn't even know what I was doing, despite my conceited attitude. My fear can sometimes stir up my cockiness, which is never a good thing. With the Zeus battle, I had powers- I had a chance against Zeus, and could hurt him. And plus, Poseidon's trident was pretty easy to use.

But this battle was different, and not just because there were no gods. I didn't have that much power this time, and barely any skills. I was running off my adrenaline, which isn't always a good thing. Suddenly, Captain Crawfish's sword came down and sliced my arm. I felt a rush of pain and clutched my sore arm, my face automatically expressing a cringe.

Of course, Captain Crawfish wasn't done yet. He raised his sword and hit me again, sending me flying across the sand. With that evil grin expressed on his face, he took steps towards me. I braced for impact, horrid pain in my weak arm.

"Ready to be defeated?" Captain Crawfish growled, pointing his sword at me. Suddenly, cannon balls soared over the sky, like comments. I gazed at them in awe.

"We're under attack! Run!" one of Captain Crawfish's crew members cried. Captain Crawfish and his crew sprinted away. Meanwhile, his ship started smoking, and flames rose up from it. It began to sink into the water. Behind the ship, I realized, was my own crew, firing cannon balls.

"Yeah! Run, you smelly old pirate!" a youngster on the ship called.

"Never did like Crawfish..." An old guy agreed, while the others cheered. Fierce Fox gave me a wave, and I was overjoyed to see her, like in the last island.

"Let's go get your medallion." I said, as I climbed aboard.


	17. Steamworks

In my opinion, Steamworks has always been one of the creepier islands. I mean, it's theme is steampunk, and it's the first isolated island that I'd been on. Oh well. At least we got a break from all the crazy super villains.

The island, just as I expected, was totally deserted. There was not a single soul nearby, and all I could see is machinery. Silver and rusted machinery that's built into houses and towers and whatnot. Vines seem to cover the majority of buildings, which really show off their age. The first building Fierce Fox and I stumbled across was the Clockwork Cantina: a giant, golden-metal clock, with vines twirled in its circuits.

We- well, I- solved a little puzzle in the Cantina's engine, and I felt the gears turn. A multi-tool popped out; I grabbed it. To the left of the Clockwork Cantina is a scrap bin, which held a steam engine.

"Well, you know what they say," I said, with a grin. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." I picked up the engine, Fierce Fox giving me a face. I kept smiling. "Come on, let's go into the museum." She nodded, and we entered the museum, which is just as metallic and rustic as everything else in the island. The walls are grey, and platforms hung from them.

I pointed to a machine that looks like a bulldozer and a excavator had a baby. Fierce Fox jumped on its outstretched arm, while I raced to the back and pulled a lever. It rose, and I yelled instructions at Fierce Fox to grab a beaker from above somewhere.

After that, we headed back to the Clockwork Cantina. I pulled a lever, unleashing a platform, like a bridge. Fierce Fox climbed on it, me following. We found a locked door; I unlocked it using the multi-tool. Inside is the room of Mayor Crumb, which looks like it hasn't been used since the dinosaurs were around. I picked up on a clue on a picture on the wall: 05/16. Then we left.

We arrived at a new area and passed a few shops, like Sully's Steam-Powered Paraphernalia. I stopped in front of a large gear, which is connected to a spinning wheel which has two arms, like a clock. I jumped on the lower platform, which rotated the upper platform. Fierce Fox scaled the side, coming to a closed shop, with locked doors. I joined her, noticing a robot crab wandering around, its back filled with water. Praying that the R.S.P.C.A wasn't watching, I leaped on the crab's back, sending it into the air and onto its back. It dropped two things: itself and Sully's key.

Meanwhile, Fierce Fox snatched up a coil of old vine from a roof. I headed to Sully's Paraphernalia: an old, metal building with a picture of Sully himself; a crippling sign; grubby windows. I had to solve a steam terminal puzzle (with the steam battery), to go inside. And then I entered.

Sully's Paraphernalia is filled with rustic shelves, which carry various objects. The whole shop is covered with cobwebs, and vines dangling down from the roof. I headed towards the counter, where a robot was snoozing on the floor. He's small, and shaped like a circle, with a big umbrella hat over his head.

I gently tapped my finger on a bell, sending a little ding throughout the room. The robot's eyes opened with surprise and he hovered above the ground, due to the propeller on his head. He soon recovered from his surprise and flew into a more relaxed state.

"Hello, Sprocket," I said, as if I was talking to a kitten. "I'm Alice, and my friend Fierce Fox- who's outside- and I are going to find your friends like Zack."

Sprocket's eyes widened. "Zack?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Zack!"

Sprocket, if he was human, would definitely be smiling. "Okay, Alice," His metallic hood flashed over his face. "Wait... how do you know my name and about Zack?"

I shrugged, "Let's just say I'm a bit of smarty-pants hero 'round Poptropica," Sprocket followed me as I headed to a crate labelled 'various junk'. I took out a rubber mallet. "Come on, let's go and save your friends."

After a meet and greet session with Fierce Fox, we walked towards an area called 'The Hub'. It's an area with metal flooring, and pipes bursting from everywhere, rimmed with gold. Oh, and don't forget the vines crawling over everything. An opening, shaped like a cone, is in the ground. Its opening was bright red, and hotter than those girls in those magazines.

I brought out the robot crab. Sprocket lifted it above the ground, and smashed it onto the opening. The red colour died down, and it was cool enough to enter, so we did. In there's a dark room, full of bronze pipes, and surprisingly (not), vines. Sprocket had his spooked look back on, and for a very good reason. Something rumbled the pipe we were standing on, leaving a dent.

"Uh, what was that?" Fierce Fox asked, taking a step back. She glanced at me.

"Not sure if I want to say..." I answered, the hairs on my arms standing up. Cautiously, I took a step, while Fierce Fox ran. The creature continued to thump around in the pipes, which did not help my fear. Finally, I got down to the lower level. I ran straight into a plant creature, which was made of leaves and weeds. It had a purple, gaping flower mouth, and wiggling weed tentacles. I call it Planty. Fierce Fox stood beside me, and we watched it move around. I faced my partner. "I need the vine!" She nodded and handed it to me.

Above my head was a small, silver pipe, which had steam coming out of it. I threw the vine up like a lasso; it twirled around the pipe. I tugged it down; the steam poured onto Planty. Planty whined and disappeared.

We hopped down a few platforms, until we got to the bottom. A pool of water and a platform is there, connected by pipes. On the platform is an elevator's power source, which much to my surprise, works. I shivered at the sight of it; I didn't have a comfortable experience the last time I used an elevator. We had to solve a little puzzle to get it working, so we could use the actual elevator in another location.

We left the underground area and resurfaced to the Hub. I pulled a lever. A giant circular building, like a clock, began spinning around. All three of us climbed aboard, waiting until the platform was in the right direction. When it finally was, we leaped off and trotted across the golden, rustic pipe. We came to a heater shoving out hot air, and soared up that. Then we did some more jumping up platforms and slithering up vines, until we finally arrived at the elevator. With hesitation, I went inside.

As soon as we popped into the next room, thick, green vines reached out and grabbed Sprocket.

"Don't worry, Sprocket," I cried, feeling fear tingle my senses. "We'll save you!" I suddenly felt like some sort of iconic hero, because after all, superheroes say such things. Though it didn't sit right with me. Guess I'm not that sort of hero.

Underneath our metal platform, three vines were crawling out of three windows and clutching Sprocket. Fierce Fox trailed after me as I faced the vines. I slammed one window shut, cutting the vine off. Rinsed and repeated. Sprocket was free, and he was most joyous about it.

"Thank you!" he squeaked, flying over to Fierce Fox and I. "You saved me... Hero!"

"Thanks..." I replied, trying to keep bitterness out of my tone. "It's what I do, I suppose. Anyway, can you show us what Zack looks like? For my friend." Sprocket nodded. His eyes flashed blue, sending out a projection ray. It showed a red-headed Poptropican boy, with goggles and a leather jacket.

"That's who we need to find." I explained to an inquisitive Fierce Fox. She gave me a nod. Then, the three of us left, and did the same old jumping up platforms. We made it to Captain Ziggs' room, which is a small bedroom with an old blue wallpaper and a comfy, red bed. Yet again, it reflects age. A picture is on the wall; the same picture from Mayor Crumb's office.

A lock is underneath it. Using the code 05/16, I opened the lock and headed into Captain Ziggs' compartment. Inside is presumably Captain Ziggs' office, or workspace. It's a small room, with dark blue walls. Books are piled on a desk, and there are plants growing around. A skeleton lies on the floor, not making this island look any prettier.

Sprocket flashed his eyes again, and a figure stood there- Captain Ziggs. He has a black eye patch; spiky grey hair; a bristly beard; a blue shirt. So close to real. Anyway, we weren't finished just yet. I picked up a bridge key on the ground and the Weed Whacker mech attachment, which were both for later.

Once we exited, we headed towards a bridge. It was towering above our heads, like a sword sticking up in the sky. We solved a steam terminal puzzle, and the bridge fell down. The other side was in sight. We raced over there, skimming past rustic pipes and other various machines. I stepped over a crack in the ground, then smiled. I spoke some instructions to Fierce Fox; she hopped up to a crane, which was holding a wrecking ball. She pulled a lever; it fell down, landing on the crack and creating a hole. Because this is Poptropica, we entered such hole.

I bounded off a few sticking-out pipes, the other two following. We somehow got into a brand new area, and the sky had turned a pale orange. There are metal platforms everywhere, as well as machinery. I stopped in front of a machine, that's shaped like a large, wonky box. Parts of it are yellow, and glow. Buttons are in front of it, and we needed to push them.

"Fierce Fox," I ordered. "Go explore that side and find as many red things to push as you can." Fierce Fox gave me a nod and headed off to that side, which is shelves and platforms. I did the same thing on my side.

"How do you know what to do?" Sprocket asked, as my feet brushed against the metal floor. I shoved my fist into a red platform, connected to the wall via a spring.

"I..." I faced a nub platform, which appeared to be on a giant screw. "I just know a few things."

"But I can't believe you know about Zack!" Sprocket cried, as I climbed onto the nub. "Have you been here before?"

I shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe not," Then I realized something. "Hey... why aren't you following Fierce Fox?"

Sprocket gasped, "Do you want me to? Sorry, I-"

I waved my hand, "No, no it's fine. Just... well... People normally choose her." I felt a tiny bit of envy stab me.

"She didn't know so much," Sprocket answered simply. "Plus... I see more in you. You remind me of Zack."

"I see," I replied, getting weird feelings. I attracted quite an interesting audience. Gods, bronies, and now, robots. Who's next? I thought. "Well, I've hit all the platforms. Let's go back down."

I met Fierce Fox in front of the buttons. Next to them, in traffic-light style, are three alight lights. We jumped on the platforms, and another platform began whirring around above our heads. The three of us did some more platform jumping, blah blah, until we got to the tippy top of the area. Sprocket resurfaced the petrified look, because there was a slimy, alien-like creature hanging down from the roof.

It seemed to have been born from a flower that grew seriously wrong. It had moving, stem-like eyes and sharp teeth, releasing transparent bubbles of snot. Both gross and deadly. I slid under the disgusting snot bubbles, then came to hanging vines. Yippee. More vines. I grabbed the first one, my grip tight. The others were behind me; we swung across. We finally got to the end. With my instruction, Fierce Fox picked up a Mech Steam Motor, and all three of us slid into the above room.

Imagine a greenhouse mixed with a laboratory and the Jungle Planet, that went horribly wrong. If you can imagine that, then that's basically what the room we arrived in looks like. Sprocket hated it even more than I did, because his terrified expression was back. Despite that, Fierce Fox and I moved forwards, arriving at the end of the room. There were three capsules of different coloured liquids. Fierce Fox handed me the beaker from the museum, and I filled it with the liquids of the capsules, creating a herbicide. And then it was time to face Planty's brother.

Planty's brother was on the level above us. So of course we had to climb up there. Planty's brother looked very similar to Planty, and was guarding the maintenance closet. I chucked the herbicide mixture at Planty's brother, and it started shrinking until it was nothing more than smoke and dusk. I winked at Fierce Fox, then opened the small, glass maintenance closet. I gave her brief instructions and she headed inside. Sprocket, realizing the danger was gone, flew up next to my head.

"Hey, buddy." I greeted, happy to see him. As much as I liked Fierce Fox, it was kind of nice to have someone different tagging along with you.

"Hello." Sprocket replied. Suddenly, the security alarms went off, and the whole building flashed red. Fierce Fox exited the maintenance closet appearing distressed, while holding a key.

"Don't worry," I said calmly. "I know how to get out. Follow me!" The other two followed me as I raced to the top. Up there is a large, glass, thick dome, which is the roof. At the corner of the dome, a patch of glass was cracked. Using the rubber mallet, I smashed through, earning our escape.

The three of us stood on a moving platform inside the Living Quarters, which looks more like the Dead Quarters. The metal walls are filthy, and vines burst from everywhere. Some platforms wobbled beneath my feet, while others fell to the ground with a smash. More jumping, and we got to a special place: Zack's room.

Zack's room looks a bit grubby, but so does everywhere else. The pale brown wallpaper has holes, and vines peeping through the roof. Pipes are also everywhere, yet again. Sprocket, with more joy than before, followed Fierce Fox and myself up another level. We stood on orange carpet, that has seen better days.

We had to solve another steamworks (no pun intended) puzzle, which had to do with moving pipes around. When we completed it, a ladder came down from the roof. We climbed it, getting to the next level. It's filled with barrels, which are covered in cobwebs. A little window is at the side, so I jumped out that. The other two followed me running along a vine, which made me feel like a tightrope walker. I got to the other side and picked up the Mech Crank.

Finally, we had all the mech pieces, and were ready to hook up to the mech. The mech was in the garage, next to Sully's Paraphernalia. The garage is a large, hexagonal-shaped room, with the usual pipes and vines. A claw-shaped platform was holding the mech, with a message next to it.

We ignored the message and used all the mech things to start up the mech. I gestured at it, while making eye contact with Fierce Fox. Unfortunately it only had one seat, and I wasn't the one to get the medallion.

"Oh, thanks, prophesied hero," Fierce Fox said cheekily. I groaned, as she climbed in. "How'd you drive this?"

"Easy," I answered, grinning. "Just walk like normal, and shoot out your weapons." Fierce Fox gave me a nod, and started walking around in the mech, making the ground shake with every stomp. "Fierce Fox, head left to this hexagon-shaped door with all these vines, and smash them away with your weed whacker!" I shouted, as she bolted out the door.

"'Prophesied hero'?" Sprocket asked, as he and I followed Fierce Fox. "What did she mean, 'prophesied hero'?"

I sighed, "Well... it's a long story. Since... Well, your island's been a bit deactivated for the last few years, but basically I'm... some sort of hero worth a lot around Poptropica. Kinda famous, too. All the super villains want me and everything." I decided I wasn't going to tell him about my origins.

Sprocket raised his robotic brow. "I see," He gazed more intently at me. "But why you?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I'm not a superhero or anything. Just some... girl." I stared at a hexagonal opening, which had been cleared by Fierce Fox and the mech. Sprocket and I entered, spotting Fierce Fox at the doorway. Sprocket suddenly froze up, returning to his fearful state. Meanwhile, I followed the stomping Fierce Fox and yelled instructions at her. We bounded along the ground, feeling it shake.

The mech hopped up a few platforms, getting to an oil pipe. I leaped up the mech and pulled a wheel on the pipe.

"This'll make life much easier for you." I said to Fierce Fox. She climbed onto the next, golden-plated platform. Like some child following their mother, I stuck behind her, while we jumped up even more platforms (what fun). I gazed at the broken walls; shattered glass and vines everywhere. This place needs more than a little weed spray, I thought.

Suddenly, a purple thing soared right past my face. It came from Planty's cousin, who was a lean, beanstalk-shaped creature. It had one bobbly eye, and sharp, purple hair. I leaped into the air, as another purple thing flew for my legs.

"Go!" I yelled at Fierce Fox. "Smack it with your weapon!" She gave me a nod, and smashed Planty's cousin in the midriff with the Weed Whacker, I guess you could say. Then more jumping, blah blah, and we came to another scary creature; probably Planty's aunt. It was shaped like a bean that came out of its pod, and didn't want to leave it. It had yellow skin, and a slug-like face, with sharp teeth. It opened its maw, and a bud of teeth came out. "Smash it." I said simply to Fierce Fox. She did such thing. "Again." And then Planty's Aunt was dead.

We exited there and headed for a gigantic fan, connected to a building made of metal and wires, with a secure door in front. Vines are twisted around it, again. A fan blade was covering the door, which we needed to get to.

"Smack that fan blade." I ordered Fierce Fox. Her mech smacked the blade; the fan swirled around, at a gentle speed.

"I can open the door," Sprocket said to us, noticing the door, as it popped in and out of hiding. "But it will take some time. Find a way to stop the fan."

"Already on it!" I called, climbing the mech. I slid up the fan's blades, then arrived at the top of the building. A gear is at the top. I brought out my multi tool and used it, which stopped the fan. Meanwhile, Sprocket opened the door.

"All done! We can enter!" he cried blissfully. I climbed down from the top and smiled at the two.

"You know," I commented. "We make a pretty good team. We could take on Poptropica by storm." Fierce Fox nodded in agreement. Even Sprocket looked like he agreed. I laced my fingers together.

"Y'know, guys," I said, feeling a dab of shyness. "This is the last boss battle… and Sprocket, you're going to see Zack. Just through this door."

"Zack!" Sprocket cried, as if someone had just offered him the world.

"But just saying," I replied, with a small grin, as the idea seemed to form in my head. "If you ever... Want to keep being a trio like this… Then yeah." I opened the doors.

Inside was almost pure darkness. I could see pale lights from freezers of preservation, and another pale light from a machine in the middle of the room. I used my multi-tool on the machine, and the darkness vanished. All around me were preservation compartments, carrying people that were over two hundred years old. Zack popped out of a nearby one, and Sprocket spun around with glee.

"Zaaackkk! Zack, I found you!" Sprocket cried, racing over to the red-headed boy.

"Sprocket! Is it really you? Did you finally free us?" Zack asked, with a smile.

"I helped, just a little." Sprocket admitted, gazing at Fierce Fox and myself.

"How can we thank you?" a lady said behind me. She has chestnut-coloured hair and olive skin, with gears as hair-pieces. She also wears a golden vest and a blue dress. "You've saved us... After all these years."

"200 years is a long time," I replied, walking to her. "You're free now. But there's one more little problem coming up." A few seconds after I said it, the whole room began to shake, like something was bouncing through the land.

"You're right!" the lady cried. She gazed at me. "Wait... how did you know that?"

"Long story," I answered. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Let's save everyone." Then I took a deep breath. "Do you mind... If I use the mech this time?"

The mech took a bit of getting used to. I now had huge, robotic legs, that made the ground rumble every time I took a step. Because this is Poptropica, it was actually pretty easy to use. I doubt it would've been so easy on Earth. Anyway, Fierce Fox and myself did a bit more climbing up platforms and brushing past vines lodged in the metal walls. We were going straight for Big Mama Planty, fully armed. I managed to shoot a few flying plant creatures, while Fierce Fox hopped on them.

Eventually, we dealt with all the minions and met Big Mama Planty #1. It was probably the most ugly creature of all. Imagine a slug, the ugliest monster you've ever seen, and the original Planty had a baby. That's basically what it looked like. Oh, and just when it couldn't get any worse, there was acid rising beneath us, sizzling. Awesome. Just awesome.

Big Mama Planty #1 swung its head towards us, its maw open wide. Then its extendable head pulled backwards, and I shot a toxic bolt inside its mouth. It made a weird chewing noise, then its scowl resurfaced.

"Now, jump!" I yelled at Fierce Fox, and the two of us did such thing. Big Mama was vulnerable; I shot another bolt in its mouth. We repeated this process once more, and the first Big Mama was defeated. Then I picked up Fierce Fox on my mech, and give her a piggy-back ride to the next platform.

Big Mama Planty #2 was waiting for us. Except this time, it shot large, purple acorns. However, defeating it was similar to the first one. I waited for it to strike and send its head out; I struck its mouth with my toxic blaster. Fierce Fox helped by distracting the monster, so I could continue to shoot the mouth. I started to get my hopes up. But Big Mama Planty #3 ruined everything.

We arrived in front of the big green monster, and for the first two times, things were okay. Then, one of the acorns hit Fierce Fox, and sent her flying backwards. The acid was rising, and Fierce Fox was directly above it. Meanwhile, Mama Planty was vulnerable.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried. "No!" I raced towards her. I can't lose you!

"No. Go for the monster thing. I'll be fine!" Fierce Fox yelled back.

"But..." I faltered. I thought of all the times Fierce Fox had to save me. And the times I had to save her back. When we were rivals. Failure. The word pounded in my head. You can't stand a loss. I gazed at the monster, who wasn't vulnerable anymore. Then, one simple fact hit me: logic. Fierce Fox would be regenerated. This is Poptropica!

Turns out logic is one of the cures for grief, at least for me, which ended up being something I got out of the fight. I defeated the monster, much to my dismay of Fierce Fox falling in the lava. But, like logic said, she was regenerated and got the medallion. I was happy about that.

"You have to go now?" Sprocket whimpered, when I told everyone of my departure. "Aww..."

"Maybe we'll see each other again one day." I replied, with a wink. Then I disappeared, preparing for my next adventure.


	18. Great Pumpkin

The Autumn breeze of Great Pumpkin island ruffled my blonde curls. Sitting on the golden grass are Autumn leaves, that fell down from the trees. The whole island looks like it was taken straight from a comic. Like Big Nate island, it's monochromatic. Even the houses have this simple appearance.

For the first time in awhile, I actually didn't feel threatened by anything. There were no gods, no pirates, no deadly plants, and no bionic, psychopathic half-humans. The only thing was a little plane scene, and some pumpkin-pushing. And, by then, I think I'd gotten over my fear of such things (like I was ever afraid of pumpkin pushing).

Fierce Fox followed me across the cement path, headed to the pumpkin garden. It's a bushy and leafy garden, filled with pumpkins peaking from the leaves. The grass felt soft beneath my feet. A girl was standing in the garden. She has wavy, black hair, with two buns near her neck. She wears a lacey, pale blue dress, and black and white sneakers.

A little boy was next to her. He wears a red, striped t-shirt, and holds a soft, baby-blue blanket. His sneakers are yellow, and his head is covered in wispy hair. He also sucks his thumb. Like the island, he and the girl have the cartoonish appearance, and look very different from Fierce Fox and I.

"Lucy wants me to find the biggest, heaviest pumpkin in the patch. Can you help me?" the boy, Linus, asked. The pumpkins were lined up in a row, standing nearby a seesaw-like scale. Fierce Fox and I tested out the pumpkins, until eventually we found the heaviest.

"Well, you picked a good pumpkin," Lucy, the girl, approved grudgingly. "But I doubt you blockheads can get it to our house in one piece!"

"I'm doomed!" Linus cried. "Can you two get it back to my house for me? If you do, I'll give you both a reward."

Fierce Fox heaved the pumpkin up a grassy, leaf-covered hill. I stood in front, both to direct and make sure the pumpkin didn't roll to its demise. The pumpkin rolled down a slope and came to a section of rabbit burrows. I stood in front of the pumpkin and grabbed it from the front, while Fierce Fox pushed. One of the rabbit's burrows began to shake, so I stopped the pumpkin. Then we rolled it over.

We got past the rabbit part (admittedly we may've failed once or twice) and arrived at the log. We stood on a small hill, and shoved the pumpkin. It soared into the log. It popped out the other side; we rolled it over another hill. Then we came to a bunch of kids on swings. It was all down to the luck of the draw. Both of us shoved the pumpkin; unfortunately it got hit, so we had to start over. Great.

A gazillion tries later (thanks Poptropica logic) we finally passed the pumpkin part. The pumpkin was brought into Lucy's house, which has a yellow wallpaper; an orange, dotted carpet; a plain window. The pumpkin sat on a smashed cardboard box.

"Thanks for your help!" Linus said gleefully to us. "Here's a treat bag as the reward I promised," He handed a paper bag to Fierce Fox. Then he faced me. "Sorry, I don't have another one."

"It's fine. We're going to lose it soon anyway." I said, with a shrug. Linus gave me a perplexed look. We turned to Lucy, who was wielding a sharp knife. She brought it down onto the pumpkin, making Linus' hair stand straight up.

"Oh! You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!" Linus exclaimed, with disturbance and dread. Then, the screen blacked out, and said the words, 'Later that night'.

"On Halloween night, The Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch," Linus explained. "And flies through the air, with his bag of toys for all the children." I couldn't help but smile at his beliefs. I was like that when I was young, except with Santa Claus.

"You must be crazy!" a boy nearby us retorted. He has fine hair; a yellow t-shirt with a black, lighting-bolt design; brown, leather sneakers; a circular-shaped boy. He also has small, piggy eyes. His name's Charlie Brown. "When are you going to stop believing in something that isn't true?"

Linus scowled. "When will you stop believing in that fellow with the red suit and white beard who goes 'ho ho ho'!"

"That sounds a lot like my friend up in the heavens." I whispered to Fierce Fox, gesturing to my necklace. She sniggered; I laughed along. The boys gave us a weird look.

"We are obviously separated by denominational differences." Charlie Brown scoffed, walking away. Fierce Fox and I exited too. We stopped in front of a house and spoke to a guy called Pig Pen. His name matches his appearance- he has dirty skin; scruffy hair; a brown, muddy overall and matching shoes. I handed him the treat bag.

"Thanks! Here, take this sucker. It's lemon-flavoured. Blech!" Pig Pen said, giving me a lemon flavoured sucker, more commonly known as a lollipop. We returned to Linus' house and gave him the sucker/lollipop.

"Wow! Is that a lemon-flavoured sucker?" Linus asked, his eyes widening. "Thanks! You can have my invitation to the party. I've got a prior engagement at the pumpkin patch." He handed Fierce Fox the invitation.

"Does the invitation work for two people?" I asked, tapping my chin.

"Well, if I can convince someone else who was invited to the party to come with me, then she might give up her invitation." Linus answered.

"Sally." I replied, with a grin. Linus' eyes lit up again, and he left the house. He was standing near a desk, so naturally he left a pen on it. After picking that up, we exited and headed left. We entered a garden, which has tall, spiny, pale trees. Leaves cover the ground, and there was a pile of leaves in the center of the garden. Charlie Brown was hanging out there, standing next to a red dog house. A small, white dog with floppy, black ears was sitting on the ground. He has the colours of a border collie, but the shape of a beagle.

"Hey, Snoopy, could you help me put these falling leaves back into the pile?" Charlie asked Snoopy, the dog. However, we got to control Snoopy. We helped him blow floating leaves back into the pile, which took a little work.

"Thanks, old pal." Charlie said, when we finished. Suddenly, Linus, screaming a battle cry, leaped into the pile of leaves, creating a mess. "Good grief!" Charlie exasperated- his infamous catchphrase.

"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker," Linus chuckled, his mouth covered in leaves. "Now, to mail my letter to the Great Pumpkin." After he ran off, Fierce Fox and I scanned the pile of leaves. We pulled our hands through it, until we uncovered a baby-blue mass: Linus' blanket. We exited the garden and found Linus; he was standing near a blue and red mail box.

"Where did I put my blanket?" Linus asked apprehensively. I handed him his blanket. "You found my blanket! Thank you!" Like an arm, he stretched out his blanket and pulled the mailbox's door open. Then he chucked the letter in the air; it flew straight into the mailbox, finished with it shutting tight. He grinned at me. "My friend Sally and me are going to wait for the Great Pumpkin, so I got an invitation for you!" He handed me a party invitation. "Would you two like to come as well?"

"We'd rather go to the party." I answered, holding up my invitation.

"I'll tell the Great Pumpkin you had a good excuse," Linus replied. "He's a strong supporter of Halloween merriment." I gave him a nod, then Fierce Fox and I returned to the garden. Charlie and Lucy were there. The latter was holding a brown football. We were about to witness one of the most famous Peanuts scenes in history.

"Hey, Charlie Brown, how about practicing a few placekicks?" Lucy asked, not appearing smug at all- though I knew she was doing something most rude.

"You just want me to come running up to kick that ball so you can pull it away and see me land flat on my back." Charlie scoffed, with a grimace.

"This time you can trust me. See, here's a document testifying that I promise not to pull it away." Lucy retorted, holding up a document.

"She's going to pull it away anyway." I whispered to Fierce Fox. I handed Charlie a pen so he could sign the document.

"Now I'll finally kick that football!" he exclaimed with joy. Lucy held the football above the ground; Charlie charged for it, his legs pumping. Lucy pulled it up just as he was about to kick it; he fell flat on his back.

"Peculiar thing about this document," Lucy observed the document. "It was never notarized!"

Charlie scowled and got to his feet. "Come on. We need to get our costumes ready before the Halloween party."

"What are we doing now?" Fierce Fox asked, once they left.

I smiled. "Going to the party."

Snoopy was standing on two legs (somehow Fierce Fox wasn't surprised by this, but yet again, this is Poptropica), on his dog house, gazing up at a tree. On the tree's branch was a green pilot's hat with goggles, sort of like Amelia's hat. I chucked Lucy's football at the hat; most accurate throw for me ever. It hit the hat; it floated down onto Snoopy's head.

Fierce Fox leaped onto the dog house, controlled by her imagination. "Looks like the World War 1 Flying Ace is ready to take on the Red Baron." I immediately thought of the Red Baroness, back on Monkey Wrench island. The Red Baron was similar, in a way. It led me to think about Amelia, too. Perhaps the first person who'd befriended me. I climbed aboard the 'flying ace'.

We took off into the orange, sunset-lit sky. There were pale yellow and red clouds floating around, as well as the Red Baron, who's actually Woodstock. Our doghouse flew around, though Fierce Fox and myself were strangely absent. But we were controlling the doghouse. Yeah, I'm confused too. Anyway, the doghouse soared through the red sky, staying near the top. The Red Baron followed us around, shooting bullets.

I'm no pilot, but I actually didn't do half-bad. Fierce Fox, the amazing natural at everything, did better than me. We managed to direct the doghouse well enough. We swerved it out the way of the Red Baron's strikes, though... he? Got us once or twice. Our smoke turned red, as if we were bleeding. Then, the doghouse started going down; we landed in 'enemy territory'.

The sky had turned navy blue, and stars twinkled like diamonds. The grass felt soft beneath my feet. It would've been pretty if there wasn't a large spotlight coming from the sky, trying to find us.

"Uh oh, we're in enemy territory," Fierce Fox said. "We'd better hide!" She turned to me.

"This way." I replied, eyeing the spotlight. We hid behind a rock, and the searchlight passed over us. When it was out of sight, we ran again and dropped into a trench. It was a near miss when I had to grab Fierce Fox. Adrenaline rushed through me as we hid behind another rock. Then we moved again, hiding behind a haystack, then a waymarker.

Eventually we got to the hardest part- the old farm house. It's an old, cobblestone farm house, with a smashed glass window and straw roof. Snoopy caught up to us once the searchlight was out of sight. Fierce Fox jumped up, landing on the roof. The searchlight was returning as I was scrambling up. I yelped and rolled onto the roof, but too late. We had start over. Fierce Fox was not impressed.

Once we'd actually completed that section, we arrived at a little crop. There's a scarecrow there; a mask was on its face. I picked the mask up and handed it to Fierce Fox; she put it on. Snoopy was sitting on the ground, looking around for enemies. However, there were no more enemies in sight (thank goodness). I walked over to an abandoned barn, which was to my right. The walls are cobblestone, and the roof's straw. Lights flickered through the broken windows. Then I realized I didn't have a Halloween costume.

Suddenly, I got an idea. If Fierce Fox's Halloween costume came from the scarecrow, then so could mine. I pulled the brown jacket and hat off the scarecrow, which were covered in hay. I placed them on myself, so I looked a little scary. The hay scratched my skin and got caught in my scarf, but I endured it for the sake of the party. Bless me, because they let us both in. Reality hit me all at once, and the imagination vanished- we were at just a regular house.

Fierce Fox seemed just as dumbfounded, so I gave her a friendly shrug. The house has pink walls, and a darker pink carpet. There were Halloween decorations all over the wall, such as witches, skeletons, and of course, pumpkins. An old TV is at the back of the room, making me laugh.

We started to play all the party games. The first one was apple bobbing, which I'd never actually done in real life. It was pretty challenging, but I managed to nip a few apples. Lucy had a... Different story.

"Blech! Dog lips touched my lips!" Lucy exclaimed, wiping her mouth, while Snoopy walked away (I have no idea how he got in, so don't ask me). Then we moved on to carving jack o'lanterns. I'm no more of an artist than a pilot, so I just drew a smiley face.

"Ha! That looks great!" the girl standing next to the pumpkin said. I wondered if she was being sarcastic. Next up was Pin the Face on the Pumpkin. Since Sally had gone to wait for the Great Pumpkin, it was hosted by Charlie. We basically had to watch a pumpkin swirl around in a circle, and when it stopped, we had to place the pumpkin parts in the right places.

Once that was over, we headed to the end of the room, where a boy called Schroeder was playing the piano. I asked if I could play. The setup of the game is like Just Dance, except with a piano and a dancing Snoopy. Notes fell down from the sky and landed on my piano; I hit the keys. My eyes darted everywhere as I kept hitting keys (I missed a few), but with Fierce Fox's help, it was relatively easy. By the end of it, Snoopy was partying hard. I couldn't help but smile.

Lucy stepped forward. "This party's been fun, but it's time for trick or treats! Let's put on our costumes!" The screen blacked out again, and we were teleported to the pumpkin patch.

"All right, once and for all, are you staying or are you coming?" Charlie asked Linus, who was still in the pumpkin patch with a grouchy Sally. I don't think she was having a good night.

"Can I go?" Sally asked, furrowing her brow with a frown at Linus.

"No! The Great Pumpkin's still coming!" Linus cried gleefully, clutching his blanket. Sally groaned.

"Oh good grief!" Charlie exasperated, with his spotted ghost costume. "Come on gang, it's time for tricks or treats." They all left the scene, carrying their treat bags. Fierce Fox and I followed them. We came to the first house, which looks like every other house on this island. Fierce Fox knocked on the door, and the resident threw out candy. I leaped into the air and grabbed some popcorn.

"I got popcorn." I said.

"I got a rock." Charlie said, holding out his treat bag. We moved onto the next house, and this time I knocked on the door and Fierce Fox grabbed the candy. She got a lollipop, and Charlie got a rock. Believe it or not I've only been trick or treating a few times. I used to go every Halloween before the leg incident, with a small group of kids. My mom doesn't really like Halloween, and I never knew why. Something about it upsets her.

After the leg incident, I didn't go trick or treating anymore. Mom just bought me some candy, and I ate that on the day. But that was all. It felt a little weird going trick or treating again, since I hadn't done it since I was young. But I had fun all the same.

"I got candy sticks." I said, on the final round.

"I got a rock." Charlie said, totally surprising everyone (not). Then Fierce Fox and I left the trick-or-treaters, and returned to the pumpkin patch. I gave Sally all the candy we gathered, as a gift of our pitiful souls. Poptropicans are little sweethearts.

"Thank you!" Linus cried. "The only thing that will make this night better is the inevitable arrival of the Great Pumpkin!"

"Hey!" Fierce Fox yelped. "Did you hear something?" She pointed to a rumbling pumpkin. "What is that?!" All of us faced the pumpkin.

"What's that? What's that? I hear the Great Pumpkin!" Linus squealed, his hair going astray. The pumpkin lifted up, revealing… Snoopy.

"I was robbed!" Sally growled with a grimace, directed straight at poor Linus. "I spent the whole night waiting for the Great Pumpkin, when I could have gone to the Halloween party and trick or treating! Halloween is over, and I missed it! You blockhead!"

"You've heard about the fury of a woman scorned?" Linus questioned. "That's nothing compared to the fury of a woman who has been cheated out of trick and treats." Sally stormed away without another word. "Sally! If the Great Pumpkin comes, I'll put in a good word for you!" He turned to us. "Good grief- I said 'if'! I meant when he comes! I doomed!"

"Don't worry. We'll wait with you." I said sympathetically. I sat down, and Fierce Fox sat down next to me, while Linus gazed at the pumpkin patch.

"So…" Fierce Fox asked, with hesitation. "What's… uh, your world, like?'

"Shh," I whispered, eyeing Linus. "My world? Well… it's different from Poptropica. There are islands, but there aren't quests. They're called countries. And also, it's way easier to die, and I mean way easier. And, I'm a human, which are kinda similar to Poptropicans, except we can't jump, run fast and we're much taller. Oh, and we have thumbs. The physics are different too. Like, remember Super Power Island? There are way too many instances where we could've died if we were on Earth. Even jumping off a building is fatal for us. However, Poptropica and my world- Earth- have similarities, too. I mean, our tech is similar, and we have Greek Gods- I mean, they're more like… myths, and stories, and in books, but they exist, I guess. And, Poptropica and Earth are both planets, and share the same name in some instances."

"Okay," Fierce Fox replied. "So, there's no island medallions?"

"Nope," I answered. "Earth's not like Poptropica. There aren't quests. We just live in houses, go to school, go to work. We're not adventurers. Just people."

"And... Poptropica is a game or something, right?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

I nodded, "Yeah. It is. We humans… we create you. I know that sounds really weird. But it's true. I guess you could say I'm technically your mother." Fierce Fox cringed at that statement. I laughed. "If you want an idea of what my world looks like… Well, the next island's a pretty good representation. We're going to real countries in my world."

"Two more questions," Fierce Fox said. "How do all these people here know about you?"

"This prophecy business," I groaned as an answer. "But then again, I have a bad feeling about the people in my world. I mean, if I can cross dimensions, then I guess other people can, too."

"And… here's the other question," Fierce Fox said, taking a deep breath. "Do you think we're friends?"

I bit my lip. "I guess so." I answered, in finality. "Now, I have a question for you," Fierce Fox looked up. "Are… you afraid? Of... what's happening. Because… in all matters of the truth, I am."

Fierce Fox shrugged. "It depends," She gazed at my necklace. "But we've got help on our side, right? And you said it's harder to die here. I think we'll be fine." I didn't reply, though I felt doubts rise in my head. But maybe she was right. Maybe this would all be fine. Or maybe not. My fear was still there, and it was not helping my optimism.

"Thanks for taking care of my brother," a voice said behind me. It belonged to Lucy, who was walking over. "Here's something for all your trouble." She handed Fierce Fox the medallion.

"See you." I waved to Fierce Fox, my screen fading out.


	19. Cryptids

THIRD PERSON

"Hey, mom," Alice said, the evening still. "Could you take a picture of me with your Polaroid? Y'know, the one you got for Christmas."

"Sure, honey," Alice's mother replied, leaving to her office. She returned a short while later, clutching a blue Polaroid between her hands. Alice stood in front of the kitchen bench, near the drying dishes. Her mother asked, "Why?"

"Just want to," Alice answered, plastering on a small smile. Her grey scarf fell past her shoulders. Her mom clicked the button on the Polaroid, and a brief flash occurred. Alice heard the Polaroid's engines whirring, and the picture being printed out. Alice's mom held out the picture for her daughter; she grabbed it. Alice smiled. "Thanks mom!" Then she exited the room, her faulty leg slowing her down.

"You are a funny one sometimes, Alice." Alice's mother sighed, shaking her head.

ALICE

Fierce Fox was waving her shiny, blue Lighting Staff item nearby Amelia when I approached her on Home Island.

"Got you a present." I said, as I handed her the photo.

"Who's this?" Fierce Fox asked. She was observing it with wide eyes. "Are those... Thumbs? What's that on her leg?"

"That's me," I answered, with a bit of dry tone. "Yes, those are thumbs. That thing on my leg is what keeps me stable and walking properly. Without it I'd fall over, which I do quite often." I felt my throat grow dry as mocking voices echoed in my head.

"Greetings, Alice and Fierce Fox!" Amelia came over to say hello. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." I said, taking the picture out of sight.

"Ah, so I hear you're part of a prophecy," Amelia commented brightly, as if being part of some prophecy where villains constantly try to abduct or kill you is a good thing. "Is it going well?"

"Could be better," I answered. "I mean, I could tell you that I nearly died a few times, but I don't wanna scare you. Oh, wait..." I shook my head, as my friends laughed.

"Have you seen this flyer?" a man with a brown beard asked, handing us a flyer. I gave him a nod, then Fierce Fox and I headed to these rich people's houses. They're these grand, stone buildings, almost like castles. Especially with the thick, brass gates in front.

"Go to that tree over there," I ordered Fierce Fox. "And there'll be five bucks in it. Grab it, go to the grocery store, and buy the Sports Nectar drink. Then, give it to that gardener over there and get his gardening shears. I'll be near the lighthouse area." Fierce Fox nodded, and ran off to do such things. Meanwhile, I exited the rich people's area, went through the town (which is sort of similar to Counterfeit Island, at least in my opinion). I arrived at a grassy area, which leads to a port with a big lighthouse.

"Loch Ness, here I come!" an adventurer in a blimp cried, as he soared into the brilliant blue sky. I passed a few people holding kites, a metal fence and floating chairs. I got to the rocky port, right next to the lighthouse. A lady with a fire-coloured hang glider was standing there. I pushed her off, and somehow, she bobbed up and down and left the scene. I leaped onto a shed's roof, which is connected to the lighthouse. I waited until I saw Fierce Fox.

A hot air balloon rider's rope was attached to the roof. So, using the gardening shears from Fierce Fox, I cut him off, and he flew off into the sky. The rope landed in my inventory; I faintly grinned. I led Fierce Fox past all the people, and didn't stop running until we got to a small shop called Kitty's Kites, which has little, colourful, paper windmills on the roof; large, glass windows; blue, wood, walls. We entered, and I took a moment to gaze at the magnificent kites, from the small to the big.

Finally, to the clerk, I asked, "Is this nylon rope strong enough for the Kitesurfer X250? And also, does it cater for two people?"

I clung onto Fierce Fox's red hair as we leaped over the crashing waves. Fear was making my heart race, and sweat was loosening my grip. But I clutched on anyway, not willing to let go. To be honest, it got kind of fun after a while, soaring over the waves. That was until Gretchen Grimlock showed up, in her shiny, pink speedboat.

"Well well well!" she cackled. "It's that hero everyone's been talking about!" I frowned at her slicked back, rose-pink hair, which has a white dash in it. She wears pink sunglasses, and a half-white, half-pink t-shirt. Gretchen laughed. "Hero or non-hero, you're not going to take my prize money! Have a nice swim!"

"Brace yourself!" I whispered to Fierce Fox. Gretchen Grimlock launched a fireball at our kite; it exploded into flames. We sunk into the sea, though surprisingly I could breath (yet again, I don't understand Poptropican physics). That was until a helicopter showed up. Then everything went black.

For a moment I thought I'd died. Then, logic kicked in and I realized I wasn't dead. Instead, I was lying on a green bed, my head on a fluffy white pillow. Plain wallpaper was near me, as well as a desk with two glasses of water. Fierce Fox was next to me, a sick expression on her face.

"What happened?" Fierce Fox asked, her voice drained.

"Gretchen Grimlock sabotaged us." I answered, feeling oddly drained myself.

"Correct," a voice said nearby us. It belonged to Mr. Mews, a very rich Poptropican. He wears probably what a news reporter mixed with Sherlock Holmes would wear, including a trilby hat and a tie. He has grey hair under his hat, and a grey mustache. "She's a ruthless fortune hunter."

"And she's after the prize money, too." Fierce Fox sighed, barely moving.

"And you," Mr. Mews said, facing me. "Any form of prize she'll be after. She'll cheat, steal and lie to get it."

"Oh, great," I mumbled, with a scowl. "Another villain's going after me."

"We have much to discuss," concluded Mr. Mews, heading to the door. "Please join me in the foyer when you're feeling better." With that, he exited the room.

"Pass me a glass of water, please." I politely asked Fierce Fox. She did such thing, and I drank the cup. I felt a huge rush of energy run through my body, as if I had just had my mom's coffee shots (she worked part time as a barista). Fierce Fox had the same sensation, and then we paraded out the room. We climbed down Mr. Mews' luxurious staircase, in his grand, wooden mansion: really shows off how rich he is. I gazed at the various statues and paintings, including one of a dodo bird. Eventually, we got to the Cryptids museum.

We climbed down more fancy stairs, arriving to a split section- the lab and the museum. We walked into the museum, which is full of separate, small levels, devoted to a particular cryptid. In the middle, there's a tank, containing a giant squid (which creeps me out a little). The first section is Bigfoot.

"Ready to watch some videos?" I asked Fierce Fox. She nodded, and I pressed play on a tab in the Bigfoot section. After watching six or so minutes worth of videos, Mr. Mews arrived at the entrance of the museum. The two of us headed over to him.

"I have been fascinated with the study of cryptids since I was a child," he explained. "The giant squid has given me hope. If that creature exists, then perhaps other legendary beasts do too."

"We'll find the Cryptids for you." I said boldly, passing a wink to Fierce Fox.

"Excellent!" Mr. Mews exclaimed brightly. "If you find any evidence, please bring it back to the lab. The helicopter is outside." We turned to exit, when Mr. Mews grabbed my shoulder. "And do be careful, chosen one. I'm sure Gretchen Grimlock isn't the only one after you."

The helicopter landed on a dock in Loch Ness, Scotland. The sky is stormy and cloudy, and the air smells like the sea. Fierce Fox and I ran across the sand, passing the rocky terrain. A guy was standing next to his mini truck, which was stuck under a bridge. I took the air out of the tires, and in return the guy gave me a 'monster' camera.

We continued along the dirt path, passing some bushes, until we got to the 'Nessie Pub'. It's made of old bricks, with red doors and a flat red roof. Inside smells like Whiskey so strong my mom's coffee shots look like water. There's actual whiskey from the wooden bar. It also has golden taps, and shelves of baked goods. We passed that bar- me picking up some matches on the table- and came to a table at the back, which had two Scottish guys, and another near a darts game.

"What do you know about the Loch Ness monster?" I asked the guy near the darts. He has orange hair like Amelia, and unlike Amelia, a beard and glasses.

"I know loads about Nessie!" he cried. Then he examined me closer. "Huh, your face looks familiar... I've seen it somewhere. Perhaps we can discuss it o'er a game of darts."

"Alright, but you have to give us your rowboat ticket." I said, furrowing my brow.

"How do you know I have a boat ticket, lass?" the Scottish guy questioned. "Oh well. You're on!" Of course, the screen went to Fierce Fox. I helped her aim the crappy darts we received at the dartboard, although it was not simple. Admittedly we lost a few times, but that didn't surprise me since I'm no professional at darts. Thank Poptropican logic, because we could play over and over again, and when we finally won, the Scottish guy acted like we bet him the first time round.

We got some new darts, as the Scottish dude exasperated, "Bah! It's these no good darts. They couldn't hit the side of a barn from ten centimeters." He stormed off after giving us the rowboat ticket.

"Go on the rowboat," I instructed Fierce Fox, handing her the ticket. "On there, take a photo with the 'monster' camera, then return to Mews mansion, talk to Mr. Mews and come back. I've got some more darts to play." Fierce Fox nodded. I faced the two other Scottish guys, who were conversing Nessie.

"I saw the beastie as clearly as I'm looking at you!" the first Scottish guy, who has a blue cap and a grey, wispy beard cried, staring at me. "I was scuba-diving in the locks."

"Ha! You're just as daft as all those tourists." the second one retorted, who has a cap and pale skin.

"It's true! I was diving near Cherry Island." the first one said, with desperation.

"Prove it!" the second guy snorted.

"I can prove it," I spoke up, facing the second guy. "But I'll need that sub ticket."

"How do you know 'bout the ticket?" the second one asked, studying my face. "Hmm… lass, you ring a bell. But if you want to win my ticket, you first need to win a game." A darts board popped in front of my face. Very terribly, I chucked a dart, getting a five. The guy got a fifty. My next try, I got twenty, and he got two. On my last go, I got lucky and earned thirty, while he got two yet again.

The Scottish dude nodded, handing me the ticket. "Enjoy yourself, but you're wasting your time. There's nothing out there but minnows." I walked past him to the door, where I found Fierce Fox.

"Hello," I said, holding out the ticket. "You get to go on more Nessie hunts. Go on this submarine thing. Search until you find 'Nessie', and take a picture. Then come back here, and show the pub guys your picture." Fierce Fox gave me a salute and headed off. I returned to the pub's interior and hung around the Scottish guys for a bit, until Fierce Fox returned.

"I've got a photo of Nessie!" Fierce Fox called, racing over to us. She faced Scottish guy #2. "Just where your friend says he spotted it."

"That's a movie prop that sunk to the bottom of the lake." I said, before I could stop myself.

"This girl knows everything!" the second dude laughed. "True. She's right," He gestured to a newspaper clipping on a wall. "Here, take these darts as a souvenir for no hard feelin's, kid."

"Let's go." I sighed melodramatically, with a wink at my partner. We headed towards the door, when the orange-bearded Scottish guy stopped us.

"Hold it right there," he growled. "I want a rematch."

"No thanks." replied Fierce Fox.

"I'll make it worth your while. If you beat me again, I'll give you something that will help you find Nessie- guaranteed!" the bearded guy cried, with a grin. Fierce Fox took the bait, naturally. And so, we played another stupid darts game (it was far easier than the others, thanks to the darts) and we won on the second round. The Scottish dude accused us of cheating (which failed) so he stormed off. The barman, feeling sympathetic, handed us a penny whistle.

We headed to the docks, stopping at a little, wooden rowboat named 'Lil' Ness'. The guy there had tricked Fierce Fox, so she threatened to call the cops on him. He didn't like the sound of that, so he fled. Fierce Fox and I took his place in the boat, and sailed across the pale, blue water. We came to a swamp-like area, surrounded by trees and rocks. Carefully, I took the penny whistle out and played a tune, even though I can't play any instruments.

The water bubbled in a little circle. A dragon-like head popped out, followed by a slimy green neck, and a broad, dinosaur-like body. It was none other than Nessie, the magnificent cryptid. A little bit stunned, I took out the camera and snapped a photo, earning the perfect evidence for Mr. Mews.

I would've loved to split up to complete the island faster, but all the 'don't split up' warnings kept resurfacing in my mind, so we stuck together (we did split up before, but not for too long). Our next destination was the Himalayas, which I'd learned about in school. They're rocky slopes covered with snow, like slices of cake. Icy clouds fill the background, as well as pale skies. Fierce Fox and I climbed up a few slopes. A Sherpa dude was there, and led us to the top of the mountain.

We arrived at a temple, which has huge, red, decorated doors. We pushed through those and headed into what appears to be taken from old Japan. There are dragon statues; literally hundreds of candles; flower tapestries on the crumbling walls; a section at the front, where the Yeti skull is kept. Unfortunately, the monks wouldn't let us have it, but they did give us a lantern.

We completed a little game with a monk, and scaled further up the mountain, until we arrived at a 'Yeti track'. I snapped a picture, then we climbed down the mountain to the helicopter. We flew back to Mews mansion. We confirmed the Loch Ness monster's existence, and also discovered that the Yeti Track was a hoax and we shouldn't go back to the Himalayas (didn't surprise me for obvious reasons).

As it was Winter in my world, going to a sunny place like Puerto Rico (and since we'd just visited the icy Himalayas) was going to be most enjoyable. Except for the Chupacabra. That wasn't so enjoyable. Anyway, we landed in the bushy, humid land of Puerto Rico. There are small, wooden houses, surrounded by Summery bushland, and lots of farms.

"All these fortune hunters are scaring away our goats!" a Mexican guy exasperated to us. "If they wander into the open country, the Chupacabra will get them." We passed him, and padded over the dirt road. My body temperature didn't feel any hotter, despite me wearing a scarf. A guy, who'd 'crash-landed' in a tree was sticking around, as well as another Mexican guy.

"We're not afraid to find the Chupacabra." I said (not very courageously) to the Mexican dude, who's called Mucho.

"I guess I can't stop you," Mucho replied, his bushy, brown mustache twitching. "You can borrow my jeep if you want." He gestured to his jeep. "While you're out there, can you deliver some seed to my brother? His farm is north of here." I gave him a nod, and Fierce Fox and I climbed into the jeep, and drove- no, scratch that- skidded all over the place to the farm. Basically, it felt like driving an out-of-control dodgem car in the middle of the Amazon. Really fun.

After that treacherous journey, we got to Mucho's brother's farm, which is a little farm with a few animals and a wire fence. However, it looks a little vandalized; some of the wires have holes, and the hen house looks like it has seen better days.

"My brother Mucho is nice. Thank you for delivering the seeds to me." Mucho's brother said favorably. He has the same structured face and skin colour as his brother, but lacks the facial hair. I gave him a nod, while grabbing a piece of unidentified fur from a fence. Fierce Fox and I returned to the 'Jeep of Death', and drove back to Mucho's place.

In order for the plot to move along, we had to revisit Mews' Mansion to do some lab testing, despite me knowing that the fur we found was nothing but simple coyote fur. Yet again, I wasn't surprised with the results, and we were easily able to return to Puerto Rico. Mucho was ticked off when we arrived.

"I've had enough of that no-good Chupacabra! I'm going to trap it!" he exasperated, with finality. It was pretty bad idea in my opinion (and it wouldn't prevail anyway), because the Chupacabra looks like something that crawled out of my nightmares, as well as the Jersey Devil. Regardless of that vacuous idea, we progressed with the plan. The plan involved forcing three innocent goats into a rock formation, triggering my sympathy.

Before we went ahead with the 'capturing the Chupacabra plan', we had to make a stop at a farm to pick up some bolt cutters. After that was completed, we drove to the area nearby the poor goats, and parked. Mucho was waiting near the goats, which were part of a box trap with large chains.

"My brother told me you were headed this way," Mucho said, nearing a bush. "I've come to help."

"Thanks." Fierce Fox replied, though I wasn't looking forward to seeing the Chupacabra.

"I've got the trap all set. Now, let's hide behind these bushes." Mucho finished, leaping behind a bush. I raced after him, Fierce Fox on my heels. We crouched down. After a few suspenseful seconds, we heard a loud 'THUMP'!

"You go check," I said to Fierce Fox, shivering. "Better me than you." Fierce Fox gave me a look, but went to see the Chupacabra anyway. I heard what sounded like an explosion, and something horrifying and blue passed me. I slipped out the bush and crept up to Fierce Fox, who was knocked out. In front of her was a Chupacabra tooth, which I picked up. I shook Fierce Fox's shoulders; she immediately got to her feet. "Let's scram," I sighed. "We've been here long enough."

After proving the Chupacabra's existence, we flew over to New Jersey. New Jersey's sky is cool and black, shining over the motorway we landed nearby, as well as a gas station. New Jersey is probably the least appealing place we visited (especially the gas station bathroom), and also the most frightening, due to the Jersey Devil (whom I really didn't want to see). But for the sake of the island, we had to.

We dug through a dumpster, until we found a bathroom door. It flew into Fierce Fox's inventory. It matched the door in the gas station bathroom, and created a message, which Fierce Fox wrote down. Then, after rescuing my friend the hang-glider girl from a tree, we climbed onto a motorbike, that was just waiting for us. (Don't ask me why someone would leave a motorbike out like that, but yet again, this is Poptropica.) We headed into the deep, dark forest.

I clung onto Fierce Fox, as the motorbike drove past the thick trees, the only light coming from the bike. I shouted directions, as we passed over a cleft, then a river, the breeze flowing through my hair. We ended up getting a bit lost (oops), but eventually we found the right area to search for the Jersey Devil. Fierce Fox parked the bike, and I brought out the lantern from the Himalayas. Ahead of us is a stone gate which has metal bars and a lock, with the face of the Jersey Devil.

We passed through the gate and some creepy trees, sending shivers down my spine. An abandoned cobblestone and wooden house is ahead; naturally we entered it. Inside, the walls are peeling with dirty grey stains. They're not much better than the windows, which have torn curtains; the creaky floor; gazillions of cobwebs. We climbed the wooden, dusty stairs, getting to a drawer, when we heard a thump above.

"It's just a raccoon," I said reassuringly. "I'll deal with it, and you can deal with the Jersey Devil. Wait here for now." Fierce Fox shivered, but it was like I wanted to deal with that nightmare-fuel cryptid. I shoved the drawer to the back wall, then leaped up to the attic. I took slow steps through the ancient attic. The thumping noise continued. I approached it; it was coming from a barrel. Something with glowing red eyes popped out; thankfully it was just the raccoon. Behind it was a grappling hook, so I grabbed that. I exited the attic, still carrying the lantern, and handed it to Fierce Fox.

She led us back down the stairs, though my eyes were shut tight. I heard her screams as we passed the Jersey Devil in the window, and kept them shut outside, hearing the Jersey Devil's flapping wings. I opened my eyes after a few 'safety' seconds, before bringing out my grappling hook. In front of me is a tall, lean tree. I handed the grappling hook to Fierce Fox, and explained what to do. She nodded, and accurately chucked the grappling hook to the top. She'd have no problem winning the Poptropolis games, I thought.

Once Fierce Fox grabbed some egg shells from the tree, we returned to the helicopter and flew back to Mews Mansion. We proved the existence of the Jersey Devil, and Mr. Mews exclaimed,

"I just received a report of a Bigfoot sighting in the Pacific Northwest! The location has been added to the helicopter computer."

We climbed back into the helicopter, and flew over to the Pacific Northwest. Immediately we spotted Bigfoot, hiding in a grassland with many bushes. We had to follow him, watching him run around, until eventually he went to his cave. Fierce Fox was about to tell Mr. Mews where he was, but I stopped her.

"Gretchen Grimlock is listening." I explained cautiously.

"How do you know?!" Gretchen Grimlock demanded, her face appearing on the helicopter's screen. Then she took a closer look at me. "Ah, it's you. Excellent."

"Begone, Gretchen Grimlock!" Mr. Mews growled, with a frown. "You won't have the prophesied hero or Bigfoot!"

"You idiot!" Gretchen Grimlock cackled. "I'll have both! Immorality and millions! HA HA HA!"

"'Immortality'?" I questioned, raising my brow. "What do you mean, 'immortality'?"

"Like I'd tell you!" Gretchen Grimlock sneered, with a sly grin. Her helicopter appeared in the distance, shimmering pink, with whirring blades. "Now, it's time to claim my prizes!"

"You must save Bigfoot!" Mr. Mews persisted. "And yourself, hero!"

"TOO LATE!" Gretchen Grimlock cackled, dropping spies onto our helicopter, who were coming to get me. Meanwhile, her helicopter went to capture Bigfoot.

"Go and save Bigfoot, and take the fuel out of Gretchen's helicopter," I said to Fierce Fox, handing her the gardening shears. "I'll deal with these guys… if I can," While Fierce Fox leaped out the helicopter, the guards broke in, and cornered me. I turned to the driver in the driver's cabin. "Help!"

"Never," he replied, through a speaker. "I'm not on your side. I called Gretchen here, and I was watching you the whole time. Gretchen agreed to split the prize with me, so sorry, I'm not helping you."

"You've gotta be kidding me…" I grumbled, as the guards reached out to grab me. The driver entered the room, and handed the guards a taser each. I gulped. They held their tasers up, and pressed the triggers. Thank Poptropican physics, because somehow I managed to dodge them. I headed to the helicopter's open door, realizing I either jump out or get shot by tasers.

"You're coming with us." one guard said gruffly, stepping towards me.

"Sorry to jump out of your plans." I replied. Then I leaped out.

I closed my eyes, pretty much internally screaming and getting the feeling that I was going to die, as the wind rushed around me, capturing me in a ball. I was so terrified I couldn't even scold myself for being so foolish. Then, strangely, I landed on something that felt like nylon. I slipped off it; my butt smashed onto something hard and metal.

"Alice!" Fierce Fox exclaimed, helping me up. "You're alive!"

"CURSE YOU, PROPHESIED HERO!" Gretchen Grimlock yelled, as her helicopter slowed down, and began to malfunction. "I WILL HAVE REVENGE ONE DAY!"

"Great," I mumbled. "Another villain that wants vengeance on me." That's when I realized I was standing on a floating cage, which contained Bigfoot.

"At least you didn't die." Fierce Fox said, with a grin.

"Right!" I cried. "That was the luckiest fall I've ever had. Explain physics to me again." Fierce Fox and I laughed after that comment.

"I don't need the million bucks," Fierce Fox said to Mr. Mews. "Use it to help Bigfoot instead."

"What a generous person you are!" Mr. Mews cried gleefully at Fierce Fox. He turned to me. "And I'm glad you escaped too. Goodness knows what would've happened if Gretchen caught you."

"I'm not sure I want to know," I replied, shivering. "She said something about immortality. What does that mean?"

"I'm not the right person to ask, unfortunately," Mr. Mews answered, shaking his head. "I guess you'll have to find out for yourself." I nodded, getting that angsty feeling again, as Fierce Fox received her medallion.


	20. Wild West

The blimp docked Wild West Island, and the first thing that hit me were the surroundings. We were in the desert in probably the 1800s, hence the wooden buildings, cacti and people dressed like cowboys. The sun beamed down on us, shining on the 'Dusty Gulch' sign. Fierce Fox and I raced across the hot sand, passing various buildings in the dusty (like the name) country town.

"C'mon Elmer, settle, settle!" a cowboy wearing a blue attire exasperated to a horse, in front of a little barn. I glanced at Fierce Fox.

"That's our ride," I explained. "Not really any cars on the island- yet they have trains." Fierce Fox gave me a look. "Anyway, talk to that cowboy, and say you can tame Elmer. Then, just keep steady on the horse, and you'll win." Fierce Fox nodded, and climbed aboard the pale brown horse's broad back. I watched her swing on Elmer, like she was at a rodeo. He has a thick, brown mane and shiny black hooves, which clopped like mad as he swung back and forth. A little while later, Fierce Fox bet him.

"I'll be darned- you did it!" the cowboy cried. "That's some impressive riding, cowpoke. He's all yours." And so that's how we adopted Elmer. Unfortunately there was only one saddle on the horse, and I couldn't walk everywhere.

"Uh…" I faced the cowboy. "Are there... Anymore horses I can borrow?"

"There's one in the ranch, but I ain't givin' away horses." the cowboy answered.

"I'm the prophesied hero," I replied, putting my title to use. "I need a horse for… hero stuff." Sigh.

The cowboy narrowed his eyes. "I can see that," he snorted. "That El Mustachio and his gang are after you. At least that's what the rumors are."

"Honestly I'm not surprised," I grumbled. I was getting tired of all these villains. "Look… can I borrow that extra horse?" An idea formed in my head. "I'll give you something valuable that you'll never find on this island. Trust me."

"Hmm," the cowboy said inquisitively. "What is it?"

"A colour camera. You take a picture, and it's in colour." I replied. That got the cowboy's attention.

"Alright," he said. "You can have the horse, but I'll be wanting that camera. And don't forget to bring my horse back. I'll be callin' the marshal if you don't."

"Got it." I promised, as the cowboy led me to my horse. I decided to name the caramel-coloured horse Bronze. She has shiny black hooves; chocolate-brown mane; a dab of white under her eyes. She's surprisingly tame and easy to ride, though I've never ridden a horse in my entire life. Yet again, it was only after I got used to it. I was a bit… all over the place at first. I think I could've starred on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Anyway, we took a letter from a lady with a tired horse, and trotted across the desert to a town called Diamond Plains. The Diamond Plains is a little town, but definitely larger and more developed than Dusty Gulch: broader buildings and structures. We headed into the saloon, me thanking that Mom wasn't watching or she would've flipped.

I could smell alcohol as soon as I entered, and see a wooden floor and purple wallpaper. Cowboys hang out there; they appeared to be having a good time. On the right side of the room, some cowboys were trying to spit disgusting gum into a vase. I wouldn't exactly call it my idea of fun. Thank goodness I didn't get to play it- Fierce Fox did. Besides, I'd had enough of aiming things, thanks to numerous games of darts from Cryptids.

"Not bad, young'n, not bad," one of the cowboys said to Fierce Fox once she won. "There's your Marshal Taylor, snoring like a steam train." We saw an elder cowboy 'snoring like a steam train' at a table, his golden star badge on his hat shimmering. The two of us headed over to him; I jabbed his shoulder.

"We have a letter for you." I explained, holding out the letter.

"Ugh… the words are all blurry. Can you read it to me?" Marshal Taylor dozily asked. I grimaced at his cup of root beer.

"All right," I sighed, scanning over the letter. "'Marshal Taylor, help! We just got word El Mustachio and his gang are targeting our bank for a big heist! -Manager, McGready's bank'."

"Sorry kid, I can't help," Marshal Taylor replied. He looked at me. "Uh oh… you're that hero."

"Glad you recognize me." I mumbled. I didn't know why, but everyone recognizing me as 'hero' was really getting on my nerves. I preferred being just Alice, or not recognized at all. Perhaps it felt less daunting.

"Which means that gang'll be after you," Marshal Taylor said, shaking his head. "I can't take care of 'em for you. See, I got into a gunfight with life, and life won. However, your friend 'ere can be the marshal," He handed Fierce Fox a badge. "You two can take down that Mustachio gang. They say heroes always wanna help." He glanced at me one more time. "Just be careful, kid. I've heard what they want with you ain't good." Then he got up and walked away.

"I've heard too," I grumbled, watching him leave. "Come on Marshal," I said, turning to Fierce Fox. "Let's go take down that stupid Mustachio gang."

We returned to Dusty Gulch. I had to take Fierce Fox's photo with this really ancient camera, which made me remember my promise to the ranch guy. He was going to be very happy with his gift, because the old camera took a lot of work to maneuver (and it wasn't so colourful). After that stressful experience, we headed back to Diamond Plains. Fierce Fox entered the marshal's building. I stuck around outside; I didn't want to meet the Mustachio gang quite yet.

Just as I expected, there'd been a jailbreak, and Fierce Fox had received a pea shooter. Fierce Fox was the new marshal, so she was pulled into going after the Mustachio gang. I climbed onto Bronze and followed after her, as she chased the gang on Elmer. I knew she wasn't going to be able to catch them, no matter how close she got.

"Dagnabbit! They got away!" Fierce Fox grumbled, already picking up on Western slang. I rode next to her, clutching Bronze's reigns.

"Nevermind," I reassured. "We'll catch them later. For now, it's time to go to Dos Cactos."

After a short trip (I got stuck on a rock on the way there; not exactly my idea of fun), we arrived at Dos Cactos. Well, before we actually entered the town, we participated in a shooting contest. Fierce Fox had the gun, so she entered. I helped her out best I could (despite my currently terrible aiming skills). Eventually we won the contest, and got the potato- well, it's called spud- gun.

Now that we had a better gun, we could enter the grand and fancy casino to do some gambling. Of course I was never really into gambling, but I preferred it to shooting things, and besides, Fierce Fox needed a break. So I played a game of slapjack- mind you, I did lose once- but eventually I won and received a gold map.

We exited the casino, and came to Dos Cactos. It has a bit of a Mexican feel to it: old stone buildings and lots of cacti. It's the most deserted, at least in my opinion. The first peculiar thing we found was a red-headed boy, with a larger-than-normal head. It was at least twice the size of an average head, and looked rather uncomfortable. The boy told us the only way to help him was to find the blue tulip.

The next town was Rock Ridge. We didn't get to see much of the bustling town, since we had to speak to a lady who needed our help to rescue a straying cow. So we traveled back into the desert, and began chasing after a runaway cow, with the assistance of a lasso from the lady. We chased a brown, spotted cow across the desert, sand at our horses' hooves. The two of us spotted the cow.

I went in front of it, circling it like a sheepdog. It started moving backwards, where Fierce Fox was waiting and swirling the lasso in the air like a real cowboy. We caught the cow (somehow) and managed to drag it back to the lady. She gave us an old saddle for our work. We set off through the town and ran into a rather stylish wagon, at least in that day and age. It said 'R.J Earls'.

We witnessed a guy drink one of R.J Earls' potions and turn invisible. He raced off in anger. We couldn't afford anything from R.J Earls quite yet, so we passed him and came to a small, wooden bank. The bank manager complained to Fierce Fox about El Mustachio and his stupid gang coming to rob the bank. She promised to help, then the two of us left Rock Ridge and returned to good old Dusty Gulch.

We entered a trading post. I haven't been to many trading posts, but I have to say this one's on the large scale, due to the many objects hanging near the dirty, wooden walls. We traded the old saddle in for a gold pan. Then, using the map from the casino, we traveled across the barren desert to a little river, where apparently gold can be found. It took about half an hour, but we eventually did find gold.

Although we had the gold, we didn't use it straight away. We revisited the trading place, and traded back the gold pan for an oil can. Then we headed to Diamond Plains, and came to this old clock tower. It looks like an abandoned construction site, covered in blankets. Dust shimmers through boarded-up windows. We jumped through one of these windows, landing in the dusty room. The walls are wooden planks, and there are wooden structures everywhere.

We climbed up these wooden structures, which required quite an amount of jumping. I fell off a few times. However, we eventually got to the top, where there's a giant clock's golden machinery. Using the oil, we got the machinery to whir again, and the clock started working. Like magic, the train pulled into the station. Naturally we climbed aboard.

The train was journeying to Rock Ridge. It was a relatively peaceful ride, aside from the Mustachio gang holding a train robbery. Fierce Fox used the 'spud' (I really don't like that name for some reason) gun, while I used the pea shooter. I'm definitely no ace with guns, and I wasn't in any mood to get shot, so I kept hiding underneath the window ledge. The gang spotted me pretty quickly, much to my annoyance.

"It's the girl!" one of the members cried. "I knew she was here!"

"Looks like this train robbery's gonna be a lot more interestin'." another member commented. They ganged up near my window, holding their guns out. Great.

"Not so fast!" Fierce Fox cried, shooting repeatedly at them. Each potato inflicted enough damage that they had to run away from me, but only for a little while. My pea shooter was totally useless, and inflicted no damage whatsoever. Really reliving.

"Get her, you idiots!" the ringleader- I guess- cried (probably El Mustachio's deputy). They kept coming back, and holding up their guns. I wondered how my mother would react if she saw me now. Oh well. I'd done much more terrifying things than fight off some cowboys with a gun full of peas. I didn't think Mom would like to know about those.

Regardless, they were gaining on us. Fierce Fox kept shooting, with serious accuracy. I wondered how she became so flipping talented; when I was her voice she was no better than me. It made me think about the NPC's voices, and wondered if they applied to Fierce Fox when I wasn't there. A potato flying past my ear reminded me that now wasn't the time to think, and instead the time to focus on battle. But then I had one last thought: the voice is supposed to control all Poptropicans, but now it's making them do things that they never originally did. I have a feeling there's a new voice going around, and it ain't exactly my friend.

The timer for the train went off; we managed to escape the Mustachio gang. We arrived at Rock Ridge, the gang yelling curses at us. We were going to meet again later, and let's just say it wasn't going to be a nice little tea party. Anyway, we returned to the R.J Earls guy, and with the gold nugget, bought one of every potion he had. And then it was time to go into the mine.

Firstly, I grabbed half a map to the Mustachio gang hideout on this pole. That would come in use for later. Then, Fierce Fox and I went to the entrance of the brown mine, nearby a bunch of minecarts. I'd lost count of times I'd been underground, and I think I was only just starting to get used to it.

Fierce Fox and I unlocked the door, entering the creepy mine. To my fear, the roof was dripping, and everywhere around me was darkness. Then rocks started plummeting down from the ceiling, like it was raining. Despite knowing I was going to be totally fine, I still got apprehensive.

The rockfall ended and we proceeded. I glanced at the wooden planks poking from the ground, leaning against the dirt walls. Random crystals also shoot from the grounds, like plants. A waiting minecart stood in front of us, sitting on the railway. Because this is Poptropica, Fierce Fox and myself climbed in, and it started rolling. Mamma mia.

The minecart zoomed along the tracks, through the dark, ravenous cave. The whole place was rumbling, and rocks occasionally fell down. I felt like screaming, hiding, and strangely, being thrilled all at the same time.

"Fire your potato gun," I ordered Fierce Fox. "Hit all the signs. And let me know when it's over." I ducked, as the minecart kept moving. I heard paths being shifted, and felt the minecart changing directions. I probably looked like a total doofus, but I could barely aim anyway, so it was probably better that I skipped shooting targets.

We survived the minecart ride (yet again, Poptropican physics), and arrived at this shadowy, moist, cave area. Rocks are covered in moss and glowing blue spots, like some sort of alien grass. The cave's roof has an exit, which is full of glowing, blue crystals. In the middle of the room, upon a rock platform, was a shimmering, blue tulip- the reason why we came underground once again. As soon as Fierce Fox plucked the flower from the ground, rocks poured from everywhere, like it was raining once more. The scene blacked out.

When the dust cleared, we were in a crevice, not too far underground. A rope was dangling above our heads, ready to take us out into the open. We popped out nearby the lady with the spotted cows (don't ask how), and somehow, our horses were there too. I climbed onto Bronze; Fierce Fox on Elmer, and we headed to Dos Cactos, which isn't too far from the ranch lady.

We found the boy with the big head; I handed him the blue tulip. He did some sort of action with it; his head shrunk back to normal. In gratitude, he gave us the other half of the hideout map, so we could head right over to the Mustachio gang who wanted to kill me. Life is really fun sometimes.

The good news is they weren't expecting us. The bad news is they were totally prepared, so if we got caught, it was goodbye world. However, we had the R.J Earls potions, which made us invisible. We sneaked past the gang, who were wielding their guns. Their headquarters- a simple, wooden house- was behind them. Notice how I say 'was', and not 'is'. If you're any smarter than me then you'll realize that this next scene ain't gonna be swell.

Apprehensively, Fierce Fox and I entered the building. The gang members flipped out when they saw me (since the potion wore off).

"It's the girl!" one of the members cried.

"Get her before she gets away!" another one snapped. They held their guns out, including the main man, El Mustachio Grande.

"Hold it, fellas," El Mustachio said, coming out into the spotlight. "I'll deal with this."

"What do you want from me?" I demanded, my voice cracking.

"Immortality'll be mine!" El Mustachio screamed, aiming his gun. It shot me in the chest, and I felt a brief stab of pain. Not death: I knew I had a few shots left before I actually died. Fierce Fox countered on my behalf by shooting her potato gun.

"What do you mean?" I asked in reply, as the gang continued to fire bullets. I lost another two lives. I didn't want to loose anymore, so I crept behind a box, praying they wouldn't find me. Will they get immortality if they kill me or something? I thought, as Fierce Fox shot away some of the members. What don't I know?

"Your friend has been defeated!" El Mustachio cackled, as he and his gang surrounded me, their wooden house creaking. They held out their guns. "Now you will come with us!"

"No!" I cried, but I realized there was nothing I could do. I was cornered. "Someone! Help!" Suddenly Fierce Fox burst through the door, back to life (you know what physics to blame).

"Get away from her!" she cried, shooting the gang with her potato gun. They fired back at her, getting into a fight. I crept away while they were doing that, and then I realized I had no plan whatsoever. Fierce Fox was going to get caught again, and so was I. Then I had a really reckless idea.

I spotted an ignited candle on a shelf. I've been to enough fire safety lessons to know about burning candles in wooden buildings. I trotted over to the candle, bending my knees to jump up and shove it.

"NOT SO FAST!" it was El Mustachio, and he did not look happy. He snagged my arms, and pulled me back. "You're mine now, lil' girl!"

"HEY!" Fierce Fox shouted, firing her gun again. It hit El Mustachio; he slumped to the ground. However, his pesky gang were forming a crowd around me, as if I was some sort of celebrity. But instead of asking for my autograph, they reached out to grab me.

"Shoot for the candle!" I ordered Fierce Fox, because I knew there was no way I was going to be able to shoot it. Fierce Fox did such thing with her potato gun; the candle landed on the ground. The flame caught onto a curtain, and smoke started forming. The gang stared at the fire and gasped.

"Put out the fire!" one of the guys cried. The fire was a good distraction, because Fierce Fox was able to help me to my feet- the gang let me go- and we slipped out the door. But El Mustachio wasn't quite finished with me yet.

"You ain't escapin' today, hero!" he cried, reaching out to grab me.

"I'm not immortal!" I yelled back, falling over in an attempt to dodge him. "Why are you talking about immortality?"

"Because that's your bounty!" El Mustachio persisted, glaring at me. I raised my brow.

"Blasted hero!" one of the members inside the house screamed. "Everything's settin' on fire!"

"You may not be a hero," I said to El Mustachio. "But if I was you, I'd be in there trying to salvage everything before it burns."

El Mustachio turned to his hideout, which now had fire coming out the windows. He faced me. "You're a crafty one," he said. "I'd be keepin' an eye out if I were you." Then he slipped inside the building to save whatever he wanted to salvage.

"Let's go," I said to Fierce Fox. "I don't want to get burnt."

"Hey, mom," I asked, when I got up in the morning for school. I headed into the kitchen, where Mom was waiting for the toaster to finish cooking toast. "Do you know where my old camera is? Y'know, that one I used to use before… The incident."

"That old thing?" Mom questioned, raising her brow. "I think it's in the attic. Why?"

"It's for a payment." I answered, not giving my mom anytime to ask anymore questions. I crept into the attic, which I rarely visited. I found the camera sitting on a box of photos. I decided I didn't want to look at those, since they brought up memories I'd rather not think about, especially when I was having troubles in Poptropica. I picked up the camera, then left the attic, glancing briefly at the dusty interior. I sighed and walked off.


	21. Wimpy Wonderland

"Alice," Mom asked, as I arrived home from school. "I just noticed this… but what's that on your arm?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, noticing my band-aid, where Captain Crawfish had sliced my arm (I was wearing a t-shirt that day). "Uh… I cut my arm on the locker door." I lied, biting my lip. I knew sooner or later I was going to have to tell my mom about Poptropica. I'd actually been preparing to tell her, but fear got the better of me (or I forgot) and I never got around to it.

"You've been… acting strange lately, Alice," my mother said, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Mom never really yelled at me, unless she was in a panic. She was good like that, but that didn't stop her from getting suspicious. "Is something wrong?"

Oh, no, I'm being hunted down by various villains who want to kill me to gain what they call immortality in a computer game. Everything's swell. "No, just… a little tired, I guess." I answered quickly. Then I exited before Mom could ask more questions.

"My brother Manny is missing!" a boy- and fellow human- Greg exasperated as we landed on Wimpy Wonderland. The island looks like it has been drawn on lined paper (which it probably has), and every character is black and white. Scratch that, everything's black and white, like in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, which is what the island's based on.

"Where do you think he might be?" I asked, despite knowing where Manny was.

"I don't know," Greg answered. He wears black and white winter clothing, a flowing scarf, and has three hairs on the back of his circle-shaped head. He's lanky: a different shape from Poptropicans. Boy, it's freaky. He's the closest thing on Poptropica to a human (well, he IS a human, like me, though I didn't look very human), which means humans do indeed exist on Poptropica. I wondered why Fierce Fox didn't know what humans were when I told her. Memory being wiped? I didn't know.

Greg continued, "Maybe we should go back to the house and look for clues." I gave him a nod, and we set off to Greg's house.

Greg's house is a two-storey, typical family home. I've read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, when I was around ten or eleven, and the island's a good representation of the book's chaos. Reading the books had given me a faint idea of what the house appeared like, and the Poptropica island gave me the exact reference.

"Maybe there are some clues in the house!" Greg said, thinking about his missing brother, while Fierce Fox and I climbed the stairs. I entered someone's room and grabbed an address book. Then, we entered Manny's room, which is pretty much the room you'd expect from a young child. The window's open at the back above some drawers, which is how Manny escaped.

"Greg is one bad caretaker." I sighed; Fierce Fox grinned. I climbed through the window and landed on the snowy roof, which is covered in footprints. Naturally, Fierce Fox and I followed them. They led us over a snowy hill, past a few more houses and a snowman. Snow trickles down from the sky, not affecting me at all (of course).

We stopped nearby a slightly chubby boy, who like everyone else in this island, is wearing a winter attire. His name's Rowley, and he's the best friend of Greg. We spoke to him for a bit, when Manny riding Rowley's rumble bike drove past and knocked us out.

Fierce Fox and I pursued the rumble bike trails, which led to a pile of snow with a bike sticking out. I picked it up and spotted Manny ahead. I gave Fierce Fox the fun job of chasing after Manny. Remember how I've been saying Fierce Fox is athletic and all? Well, she's nothing compared to Greg's little brother. And he's human.

I saw Manny leap off a tree and land in some poor kid's snowman, turning it into a mushed pile of snow. The kid's mother let me have the carrot nose, just as Fierce Fox hopped down from the tree. Then we headed over to the school, which is kind of similar to mine. Well, not really, since mine's more of a grey, cement building. This one's made of bricks, and shows more age and deterioration. Immediately we spotted Manny, the crazy gymnast he is, leaping up the building and sneaking into the school.

Once Manny was gone, I headed to the side of the school. There's a pine tree, its branches covered in snow. I picked up a discarded piece of paper on the tree, then focused on a see-saw. Fierce Fox shoved a bin onto one end of the see-saw, while I leaped onto the other. The bin was flung onto the school's first roof, below the second layer. Fierce Fox followed me as I pushed the bin across the snow-covered roof, until I was under a window. Then we entered.

Our good friend Manny squeaked when he spotted us and took a runner, racing down the school halls and stairs. Of course we couldn't catch him. But it didn't matter- we'd get him later. For now, the two us stopped in front of a wall of lockers. Fierce Fox's eye twitched- the last time she opened a locker, she was welcomed with a barrage of papers, which I found most amusing. I opened the locker this time (feeling nostalgia from my own locker), and a Twisted Wizard game guide popped into my inventory.

We exited Greg's school and returned to his house. Being the slacker he is, he was playing Twisted Wizard. I mean, I know the characters you meet in Poptropica islands don't necessarily help you, but this is ridiculous.

Regardless, I handed him the game guide, and he agreed that if we bet the level, he would help us (or so we hoped). Twisted Wizard is pretty simple- you have to build a wall around yourself, and defend yourself from enemies by smiting them with your wand. It's a solitary game, but Fierce Fox helped out anyway, and we won.

Greg told us to take the game disc back to his friend Rowley. So Fierce Fox and I went over to Rowley's house, but the poor thing was trapped inside, due to his dad not letting him out. I hopped onto the family car; it made a pandemonium of noises. Then, grabbing Fierce Fox by her lighting staff, we jumped into a bush and hid. Rowley's dad came out to investigate the sound; we sneaked into his house and Rowley's bedroom.

"We found your rumble bike," I said to Rowley, who was swinging his legs around. "And here's your game back!" His face lit up as he received his game. I couldn't help but have a soft spot for the kid- he's pretty adorable and youthful, unlike the crazies at my school. And Greg.

"Yay! Thank you!" Rowley cried gleefully. "And take this as a thank you gift!" He handed me a Joshie Fan Club Membership card. We bid him farewell and left his house, returning to Greg the slacker's. At the left side of the house, there's a room, which had a locked door. I used the fan club card on the door; it opened like magic. Fierce Fox, with my instruction, headed into the room, and to the electricity box. She pressed a button inside the box, which turned off the electricity for Rodrick's room. Rodrick, incase you didn't know, is Greg's older brother.

Rodrick stopped jamming out (which created a huge ruckus) and exited the house, taking his van with him. Fierce Fox and I infiltrated his messy room. I picked up an orange dog bowl (which, yes, is in colour), that said 'Sweaty' on it. I glanced at Rodrick's… interesting room: his messy bed; disturbing posters; litter on the floor. Then we left his room (which is down in a basement), and exited Greg's house. Fierce Fox noticed Rodrick's van was gone, and I tried not to groan at the fact I already knew.

We entered the garage. Another coloured item was hanging on the wall- a leaf blower. I swiped it down, then handed Fierce Fox my carrot. With my instruction again, she headed outside and placed the carrot on a snowman's nose, who in fact was not a snowman at all, but instead a boy known as Fregley. Holding up the leaf blower like I was some sort of mad scientist, I blew the snow off Fregley.

"You should never build a snowman from the inside out!" Fregley exclaimed blissfully. I gave Fierce Fox a look. But then again, we all have weird habits. "Here's a token of my gratitude." Fregley said, holding out a bingo troll. "He's my only friend." I felt a little guilty for taking Fregley's 'only friend', but we needed it to complete the island.

After that, we headed right until we came to an aged-care home called Leisure Towers. The only time I've ever been to an aged care home is when we went see my grandfather, but that was when I was six and I don't really remember it. And now we were going to see Greg's grandfather, who lives in an apartment.

Since we couldn't really go in the reception and use the lift (like I wanted to anyway), we had to jump up the building, using the window ledges. That's kind of illegal in my world, but yet again, this is Poptropica. Oh, and the residents kept chucking stuff down at us. Either they thought we were criminals having a break in, or they were just plain mean. Probably a mix of both.

Eventually, we made it to Greg's grandpa's apartment (I got hit a few times by cooking pots, not something I wanted to relive). Greg's grandfather was snoozing on a chair, in front of an 80s television. He flipped out when he saw us, though he quickly got over his surprise.

"Where is Manny?" I asked him, as if we'd been talking for an hour.

"I'll tell you over lunch!" Greg's granddad replied. Fierce Fox got the wonderful experience of eating his watercress salad, which is just about as delightful as drinking the stink bomb from Big Nate Island. And, being witness to the smell of the stink bomb, I can tell you that it's not something you want to be around.

Finally, the disgusted Fierce Fox finished the watercress salad (I couldn't help but feel bad for her), Greg's grandfather told us about Manny.

"I'll tell you where I saw Manny," he said. "On the Leisure Towers security camera!" A screen flashed before my eyes, showing the escapee toddler riding on a scooter. I began to wonder if this kid was human or an extraterrestrial species. Greg's grandfather grinned. "Why, there he is! He's right in front of the building!" I gave Fierce Fox a look; we exited his apartment. We came to a lift, climbed aboard (much to my dismay) and rode it down to reception, then left Leisure Towers.

We were back outside again, the snow still trickling down. The two of us moved right, where we were barraged by snowballs, thrown by the Whirley Street Kids. Unfortunately, we had to run through the snowball storm to get a snow shovel. I raced forward, though many snowballs hit me, covering my long-sleeve in snow. I was flung backwards, knocked out briefly, though I was back to myself in less than a second. Fierce Fox did the same as I, shoving through the snowball storm.

To help Fierce Fox out a bit, I stood in front of her, acting like a shield. I got way too many snowballs to the face, yet I didn't get frostbite. Fierce Fox's crafty fingers reached out and grabbed the snow shovel, just as a cloud of more snowballs zoomed towards us. They launched us back, and just in time, because I was sick of snowballs. It made me wonder how those kids could throw such an amount.

"Whew!" Fierce Fox exasperated, once we were out of their sight. "Those Whirley Street Kids are too much for me!"

I retorted, "Says the girl who rescued me from falling off cliffs, fell into the River Styx and survived, was blasted back by paper in Nate's locker, fought the Hydra, saved me from a falling elevator, went into an active volcano-"

"Alright, alright, point taken." Fierce Fox chuckled, waving her hands.

"Let's go clean Greg's Gramma's driveway." I said, skipping off to the left.

We had to do quite a bit of running, but eventually we made it to Greg's Gramma's house. We cleaned out her driveway (for the first time being around snow on Poptropica, I got cold) and then the old woman drove over to bingo, though she agreed to keep an eye out for Manny. Of course, we had to follow after her, because we needed a prize from the bingo game. That meant going back to good old Leisure Towers.

The two of us passed the elevator, and entered a spacious room. Many elderly women are playing bingo in this room; bingo cards cover the tables. Fierce Fox and I, using Fregley's 'friend', joined in. Since there were two of us, winning at bingo was so much easier. We pretty much won in the first round, though Fierce Fox received the credit and the grand prize- a classical music CD. Not much of a prize to me (I'd rather have a Poptropica membership or at least money), but it was going to help us complete the island.

We exited Leisure Towers and raced across the snow, approaching a little grocery store. A bunch of teenagers were outside. They were bitter to us, and treated us like we were little kids. I told Fierce Fox to ignore them, and we headed inside the store. The owner grouchily complained about the adolescents outside, which was understandable. I used the classical music CD on the music speaker (which is for outside), and the change of music made the teenagers leave in disgust. The shopkeeper was pleased with our help and handed us a Freez-it cleaner (cleaning stuff).

The cleaner would come in use for a guy's truck; his windshield had been frozen up. With help from the Sweaty dog bowl, we measured the correct amount of fluid the guy would need to clean his windshield. We gave it to him. He cleaned his windshield, then decided it was time for a coffee break.

"I wonder where Greg went." Fierce Fox wondered, once he left.

"He's being helpful and playing video games," I sighed as an answer. "And I thought I was a bad procrastinator."

Likewise to what I said, Greg the slacker was indeed playing video games. I grumbled and opened a curtain nearby him, sending a shower of light into the room.

"Ouch… the light!" Greg cried, as if he was a vampire.

"Count Bram? Is that you?" I asked sarcastically. "You're a few islands early." Greg and Fierce Fox gave me a look. "Never mind."

"Uh… anyway, Manny's probably looking for his blanket, Tingy," Greg said, standing up. "If we can find Tingy, we can find Manny!"

"Why didn't you just say so…" I mumbled, as Fierce Fox and I exited Greg's house. As soon as we stepped into the snowy area that is outside, Manny drove past us- yes, drove- in the truck we cleaned the windshield of. You've gotta be kidding me… I thought, watching Manny drive away.

The sad thing is I can't drive, yet a flipping three year old can. We pursued the truck, and came to a laundromat, where the truck was parked. Fierce Fox and I entered the laundromat, gazing at all the washing machines. At the back of the room, Manny was cuddling his precious Tingy.

"Tingy!" he cried, in exuberance and affection.

"Great, you found him!" Greg cried, suddenly appearing in the room. "But we need to get home before Mom gets back from work!" Thanks to Poptropican physics, we were all teleported nearby the houses. It looked fine until our old friends the Whirley Street Kids showed up to barrage us with snowballs. Greg turned to Fierce Fox and I. "Help me push this snowball!" We did just that; it rolled down the hill, increasing in size and swallowing up the stupid kids. And then we started sledding down the hill.

I shared a sled with Manny and Fierce Fox, while Greg rode solo on his own sled. Our sled zoomed up and down on the snow, jumping over mountains and passing snow-covered bushes. Fierce Fox was driving, so we were doing pretty well. I, however, was covering my face, to avoid getting snow in my hair. Manny was chilling out, having a good time with Tingy.  
Some of the Whirley Street Kids had resurfaced (somehow), and were throwing snowballs at us.

Fierce Fox steered onto a ramp, and we sailed over them. I groaned as we thumped back onto the snow, though Fierce Fox showed no signs of slowing down. The sled proceeded, and we leaped in the air another time to jump over a dead bush. My fingers continued to claw my clothes, while the sled bobbed up and down roughly. Then, we approached another ramp, and flew into the air…

We miraculously survived, just as Greg's mom returned home from work. Thank Poptropican physics and Fierce Fox's incredible driving skills.

"I knew I could trust you to keep an eye on Manny, Greg!" Greg's mom said gleefully.

"Of course you could, Mom!" Greg replied. Yeah right, I thought. All you did was play stupid video games and make me consider if you're related to vampires. Greg turned to us. "Thanks for bailing me out, guys! I think I owe you this!" He handed Fierce Fox the island medallion. My vision flashed white, and I bid everyone farewell, wiping snow off my clothes.

"Is that a snowflake in your hair?" Mom asked, as I came down the stairs. I ran my fingers through my short, pale blonde hair, pulling out the icy fragment.

"No," I answered. "I don't see any snowflakes. It's not even cold outside."


	22. Red Dragon

I eyed the group of girls cautiously. My bullies were acting pretty weird, that's for sure. Especially Louisa, who was once the only person who looked past my leg and saw me- Alice. Now she'd become a creep, and whispered a lot with Chrissi and the other guys. I didn't know what they were talking about, but it didn't sound good. I'm not much of an eavesdropper (nor am I great at hiding), but today was an exception. I hid behind a nearby locker, where the weirdos were chatting.

"Look, if that stinkin' dragon doesn't get her, that shrink ray will." one guy hissed.

"Are you sure?" Louisa asked, her voice raspy.

"Yes, duh," a girl replied. "And other villains will be after her, won't they? I mean, that's what he wants."

"Ugh, this would be so much easier if his stupid brothers weren't watching over her like some overgrown bats," another guy complained. "If they weren't, he could get her straight away. But no. He has to rely on the mortals instead."

"Well, at least he has us," Chrissi said darkly. "I mean, when we're done with this, we'll become queens. She has no chance against us." She turned to Louisa. "You'll get revenge on what her dad did to your mom at last." Louisa nodded, her black hood shaking. I was shaking too. I did not like what they were talking about. I had a feeling they were talking about me, and possibly some dangerous people, hence the word 'mortals'. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. The bell rung just in time, pulling me in with the other students.

"Just a little more," I ordered, holding up my hands. Fierce Fox continued shoving the tire, her feet scraping along the green, grassy mountain. "We're nearly there." I held up my hand as a stop sign after another minute. We were underneath a large, tall tree, which carries a treehouse. It appears to be an ordinary treehouse, but this is Poptropica. Things aren't so ordinary.

I noticed a pair of red glasses on the ground, so I scooped them up. Then, using the tire, we bounced onto a ladder hanging down from the treehouse. We climbed up to the treehouse and entered.

"Who's in our tree house? You shouldn't be in here!" a young boy, Jack, shouted. He has dark, bushy hair; a striped shirt; a red backpack; blue pants; right at that moment, a scowl.

"Don't mind my brother. He's just cranky because he lost his glasses." a girl, Annie, said calmly. She has short, marigold hair in pigtails; a red shirt; a camera around her neck; blue pants; a smile. Both siblings have smaller faces than Fierce Fox and I, and are a tad shorter.

"You mean these glasses?" I asked, handing Jack the glasses I found. He put them on, and his frown vanished as he grudgingly thanked me.

"Great! We couldn't have gotten far in Japan without those." Annie said, with a grin.

"Annie, shh!" Jack hissed, glaring at her. I winked at Fierce Fox, and picked up a book at the left side of the treehouse, called Frog Creek.

"How does it work?" Fierce Fox asked Annie, as if they'd been talking for an hour.

"Pick up that book and we'll show you!" Annie answered, a book magically appearing on a windowsill. Fierce Fox reached over and picked it up, scanning the words Old Japan. Annie grinned. "Just look at it and say, 'I wish we could go there'!" As soon as she said that, I crawled into a little ball.

Fierce Fox said, "I wish we could go there." Suddenly, the house began to vibrate, and little sparks of magic flew around. It began to lurch forward. Fierce Fox ducked in shock while the kids laughed. If you want to know what it felt like, it's basically like being in a plane when it's moving really fast, ready to take off.

"Wow, what a ride!" Fierce Fox cried, when we arrived at Old Japan. The treehouse appears similar to Frog Creek. However, there are a few more beams of sunlight, and little yellow butterflies float around. We exited the treehouse and climbed down the ladder. The siblings were dressed in kimonos, which have floral patterns.

"We'll go on ahead," Annie told us. "You two should try to find a kimono so you can blend in."

"Take this magic amulet," Jack added, holding out an amulet. "It'll return you to the treehouse whenever you need it." Fierce Fox accepted the amulet, then Jack and Annie left us alone to do who-knows-what.

"Alright, you've got the amulet," I ordered Fierce Fox. "Go to the guards and get yourself caught, then use it to get out. Then we'll be able to wear some kimonos." She gave me a look, but headed off to do what I said. I hoped there weren't any villains who wanted me on this island, and then remembered the people at my school. That wasn't very reassuring.

Fierce Fox popped out of the treehouse a short while later, and a Japanese shop called Bonsai Trees opened. It's an old, pale, rustic shop made of wood and surrounded by Bonsai trees. Inside is just as glorious, showing off all the bonsai trees. It has a bit of a homey feel too, with various lanterns and cultural things.

"No. I'm- we're- just people who need a kimono." I said to the shop owner, again Poptropican physics coming into play.

"Of course. Well, I've got plenty of old kimonos. Take your pick." the shop owner replied, walking over to a fancy cupboard. She opened the door, revealing a stack of kimonos. I grinned.

Soon, Fierce Fox and I were wearing kimonos. Fierce Fox was wearing a blue kimono, with red lantern designs. I was wearing an orange one, which had flowers and green leaf patterns. I realized only then, apart from 24 Carrot Island, that I hadn't necessarily worn anything else apart from my normal attire. Fierce Fox was (mostly) the same- well, she always wore the same darn thing. Now we were both dressed differently. I admit, the blue kimono matched Fierce Fox's red hair. In the kimono pockets were passports, so we could pass the guards without getting thrown into jail.

We ran into Jack and Annie getting caught by the guards, so we ducked down and- for the second time in one day- eavesdropped on them.

"That hero brat will come right for you two." one guard said, with a sly grin. The other guards surrounded the kids, their sharp weapons forcing them to move away. I let out a groan.

"Hero stuff again," I complained. "Honestly, I still have questions." Fierce Fox shrugged at me, then we moved forward. We came to town central, which is like a giant, ancient market place, with people selling various Japanese things. There's a staircase right in the middle of the bazaar, which is surrounded by statues. The staircase leads to a red gate, which is decorated with Japanese symbols and golden dragon statues.

I picked up a rotten fish on the staircase, then the two of us ascended upwards. We came to a mountain, which has a bulky, red door, locked with a dragon-shaped padlock. A guard stands out the front, holding a spear with a pointed dagger on the end. I moved to the right, and a parchment fell down from the sky. I picked it up, and read aloud,

"'Dear Fierce Fox and Alice,  
Jack and I are fine, for now. However, the shogun has not only taken the Wand of Dianthus, but Alice, he knows about you, like us. He'll be coming after you, I bet. Be careful, won't you? Speak to Basho. He'll be able to help you.  
-Jack and Annie.'"

"More villains going after you?" Fierce Fox asked. I think I saw a flash of jealousy in her eyes. "Great."

"Come on," I said, lacing my fingers together. "Let's go find Basho."

Basho lives in a rather astonishing place. His house is on an island, which is separated by rocks in the water. Lush, green grass covers these rocks. Pink cherry-blossom bushes are everywhere, connected to thick, stone walls. I would've loved to admire everything (or the entire island for that matter) but we were on a mission. We leaped across to Basho's bamboo hut, me picking up a bag of mortar along the way.

We spoke to Basho inside his neat, weapon-filled bamboo hut. Fierce Fox got a bit impatient with him (since he wasn't saying the most useful things), though he eyed me carefully. I could tell he knew I was the hero. Would you like to know how? It's called, 'I just know things'.

Anyway, Basho told us that the 'mighty' Basho (himself in other words) was just in town, buying eggs. But that wasn't the real reason he sent us to the town. A few things had changed while we were gone, unfortunately. For one, there'd been an incident in the town central, with these dudes who'd been dressed up as an Ancient Japanese dragon. Fierce Fox and I put them in the correct order, and the dude who'd started the ruckus was caught out.

"Thanks for the help," one of the guards thanked us. "Argh, I'll be working on this arrest report until midnight! Do me a favour- take my betting slip to the sumo match, will you? I'll split the winnings with you." We nodded at him, and he handed us a small ticket with Japanese symbols. Then we headed past them towards a large, tall, red bridge, near where Jack and Annie were arrested. It leans over a crevice of water, miles beneath us.

Using the mortar, Fierce Fox and I helped fix the bridge. I placed some discarded bridge parts under one pole, while Fierce Fox did the other. Since there were two of us, it was easier to complete. Once we fixed the bridge, an extremely heavy, bulky and large sumo wrestler bounded across, making the bridge shake underneath my feet. A guy got a bit traumatized, and dropped his bonsai scissors. I picked them up.

"Look," I said, as we walked off the bridge. "I know we're not really supposed to split up anymore… but it'll be easier to complete the island if we do. Besides… nothing too bad will be here, right?" Fierce Fox shrugged. "Yeah. Look, I'll go and cut some bonsai trees, and you can go and catch the kappa."

"The what?" Fierce Fox repeated, her brow raised. I chuckled, holding out the rotten fish.

"I'll explain."

"If only I could find a way to get these bonsai trimmed!" the shop owner exasperated.

"I'll help." I volunteered, holding out my bonsai scissors.

"Thank you! I just need you to cut these." the shop owner replied, clutching a bonsai tree. I referred to a picture of a bonsai, cutting the bonsai tree to look just like the picture. I haven't had much experience with gardening, but I didn't do too bad, at least in my standards. I mean, the shop owner was pleased enough.

"Excuse me," someone wondered in. "Are these bonsai for sale? I work for the Yokozuna and he won't compete unless his dressing room has a bonsai in it!"

"They certainly are. Only 100 yen!" the shop owner answered. I have no idea how much 100 yen is, so don't ask.

"100 yen! That's highway robbery!" the man exasperated. "Well, I have no time to haggle." He reluctantly paid for the bonsai and exited the store. I followed him out of the store, and ran into Fierce Fox, who'd recently had a fishing session with the kappa.

"Ready to do some sumo wrestling?" I asked her. Her facial expression was quite hard to describe.

We arrived at the arena. It's not quite the same as the arena you'd see on WWE. The area has no rings, and it's made of stone, not whatever the WWE arena is made of. The guy that bought the bonsai and the big Poptropican we saw run over the bridge were standing in front of the arena.

"Please, copy this notation for me!" the guy begged. "The Yokozuna hates to let down his fans, especially the young ones." So, we were pulled into drawing Japanese symbols for the Yokozuna's (aka the big Poptropican) fans. This made me wonder if I had any fans, being the hero and all. I wasn't sure to be happy if I did or not.

I wasn't very good at drawing Japanese symbols, but Fierce Fox was superb. I really hate Poptropican physics sometimes. Eventually I let her finish the rest off, since I couldn't do crap. She finished pretty quickly, and the guy thanked her. Then, we moved over to the right, where another large Poptropican was cowering in a house. I couldn't blame him; I did similar things.

He wanted us to take his place in the sumo wrestling match, which I was not looking forward to in any way. So Fierce Fox got that job instead. She leaped onto the arena and faced the Yokozuna.

"Just jump over him." I whispered to her; she nodded. The Yokozuna charged at Fierce Fox; she swiftly jumped over him. He charged for her again; she repeated. She's too good for that stupid Yokozuna. I wondered if he heard my thoughts, because his head turned a smoky-red, and, like a bull, charged for Fierce Fox. She simply hopped over him, and he fell off the arena.

Unfortunately the guards weren't so pleased since they'd bet on the Yokozuna. They came over to bother Fierce Fox. That was when Basho showed up.

"Good afternoon, Basho." one of the guards greeted Basho.

"Basho?!" Fierce Fox gaped, mildly glaring at me. I shrugged.

"I apologize that my student- students, have left their passports at my home. I will discipline them appropriately." Basho explained.

A guard looked at me. "Hey, it's the hero of the legends!"

"Yes, and you must excuse her, as she has... Business to attend to." Basho said calmly. The guards gazed at each other.

"Alright, then," one of them grumbled. "But don't let this happen again." They stormed off, making me sigh with relief.

"Business?" I repeated, staring at Basho. He smiled gently.

"Come to my house when you are ready," he replied. "Both of you have much to learn." Then he walked away before any of us could move.

"So," Fierce Fox said, tapping her foot. "This 'business' is going to be interesting, isn't it?" I sighed.

We headed back to Basho's house, over the watery rocks.

"So," I piped up, standing in front of him. He has thick, grey hair done up in a bun, as well as a beard and mustache. He wears brown robes with spots of fur, and holds green reed pipes. "This business."

"Yes, young heroine," Basho answered. "I know you know that both of you must rescue your friends on the mountaintop. You will both need training for that." He faced me. "You, however, will need more than training." His eyes settled on my necklace. "You may have your necklace, and the treehouse amulet. But you don't just need weapons- a true warrior uses their mind, too." he smiled. "The prophecy chose you for reasons I do not know. I'm not the right person to ask. But you must have a trait of a warrior somewhere inside of you- find it, and that will help you save the day."

"Uh… alright." I replied, biting my lip. Basho chuckled.

"The Shogun will be able to tell who you are, no matter what you wear," he said. "But you may wear the ninja costume if you wish."

"No, I'm good." I replied. Fierce Fox, however, decided to wear the ninja costume. She chose a white suit, which made her look more rough and intense than ever. A grey headband was around her head, and claws were attached to her fingers. She was crouching down, like a predator. I replicated her, looking a bit more plain in my kimono. I'd change out of it later.

After our training session with various weapons (and fixing up a wall), Basho wished us good luck and bid us farewell. We returned to that red gate from before, me staring at the dragon padlock.

I took a deep breath, "Let's go kick some Shogun butt."

We used ninja claws to scale the walls, though Fierce Fox was way ahead of me. I didn't enjoy climbing very much, since I almost got crushed by logs a few times. Fierce Fox had to slow down a few times for me. However, we eventually made it past the climbing section, and arrived at the palace garden. Fierce Fox used a smoke bomb- another cool weapon- to blind a guard temporarily. Then her and I sneaked past him.

We entered the palace. Unfortunately, there were more traps and other fun things waiting for us. I followed Fierce Fox as she used throwing stars to knock down a wall. I helped out by throwing a smoke bomb at a guard. Fierce Fox grabbed a piece of paper nearby him, without being caught. Then we climbed up another wall (I was not used to this climbing ability), and used the grappling hook to swing over a guard. We came to a section with a key, so we grabbed that.

The next section was a bit different from the first. It was much darker, and had lots of Old Japan-style lanterns. We had to use the throwing stars to take out the lights and crawl through the darkness, so the guards couldn't detect us. We also picked up another piece of the haiku- and a key- so we could pass the level.

After that, there was one more level of traps, then we made it to the main room- the temple. It's full of tapestries, and coloured like bamboo. It's pretty, but we didn't have time to admire it. Jack and Annie were trapped in a bamboo cage, and the Shogun was waiting for us. He grinned at me.

"At last you have arrived," he growled. "I have been waiting."

"Let our friends go!" Fierce Fox demanded, while I stomped my foot.

"I will," the Shogun replied, with a sickening grin. "If the hero hands herself over. If you do that I will not have to summon the Red Dragon." I gulped, remembering what the people at my school said: If that stinkin' dragon doesn't get her, that shrink ray will. Not good.

"No," I said, as bravely as I could. "You can't have me." I bit my lip. "That's more dangerous than summoning the Red Dragon."

The Shogun scowled and brought out a little, ice-cream-cone-shaped wand and waved it. "Red Dragon, smite this hero!" he ordered. However, it started raining fireballs, and the ground rumbled. The Shogun frowned. "What is happening? I said smite this hero!"

"The Red Dragon is beyond anyone's control!" I answered, crouching down. "I said things would be more dangerous if I joined you, but that doesn't mean the Red Dragon should be messed with!"

The Shogun didn't like that. "Out, fire, out! I command you!"

"Give us the wand!" Annie cried. "We can help you, but you have to trust us!"

"I…" the Shogun was dumbfounded. He handed them the wand.

"Put. Out. The. Fire." Annie ordered firmly, clutching the wand.

"One more word!" Jack cried persistently.

"Please!" Annie begged. It didn't put out the fire, but it did teleport us to the peak of Mount Fuji. It was still raining fireballs, and I could feel myself shivering.

"Look up there! It's the Cloud Dragon!" Jack cried, pointing at the sky. A blue, Chinese-style dragon parked at the very top of the mountain, its blue whiskers flowing.

"Hurry, heroes! Climb the mountain to reach the Cloud Dragon!" Jack said urgently.

"It would be nice if it came down here, but oh well." I mumbled, as Fierce Fox and I scaled the mountain. We climbed aboard the Cloud Dragon and zoomed into the sky. Riding a dragon isn't quite the same as riding in a plane, or using a super power. It's a lot more bumpy and swirly, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. If you don't like rollercoasters, I don't recommend dragon-riding. I don't like rollercoasters, but I'd been riding on planes, pegasus ponies and a bunch of other things so dragon-riding wasn't too bad.

Anyway, we took off into the sky, and chased the Red Dragon. It looks just like the Cloud Dragon, but red (hence the name). It roared when it saw me, and shot fire at my face. Fierce Fox was sitting in front of me, so she acted like my shield. The Red Dragon dove down and started setting some houses on fire, so as the Cloud Dragon, we extinguished the houses with water.

The Red Dragon roared and came for us again, and started chasing us around. We flew higher into the sky, sticking nearby the clouds (being the Cloud Dragon and all). The Red Dragon got bored of us and dive-bombed for the houses. We zoomed after it, shooting water at its tail. It flashed red, signalling that we were causing damage. The Red Dragon snapped at us again, then did something very crazy.

It flew around us, like some sort of tornado, then butted me with its head. Poptropican physics couldn't save me now- I was flung off, pretty much plummeting to my death. The Red Dragon charged for me again, shooting non-stop fire. And I still wasn't dead. Yet.

"NO." a very vexed voice growled, as I harmlessly landed on the floor (Poptropican physics), though I did get a major headache, and my view became covered in stars. The Cloud Dragon suddenly went haywire, and shot blasts of water, like it was enraged and on steroids. Fierce Fox was still riding its back, teeth bared. The water from the Cloud Dragon drenched the Red Dragon. There was so much that the Red Dragon couldn't take it anymore, and ran home for mama.

Fierce Fox and I were teleported to the front of the stone staircase. I was now back to myself, completely fine. Not dead. Not even injured. The Shogun, Jack and Annie were there, too. Basho walked over to us, grinning at the Shogun.

"Ah! Dear brother," Basho said gleefully. "I trust my students have brought you back safely."

"Brother!?" Fierce Fox repeated, staring at me. I shrugged.

"Indeed," Basho replied. "The Shogun and I trained together as samurai."

"And you turned your back on us!" the Shogun spat.

"Look what your samurai ideals have brought you, brother. All this destruction." Basho pressed calmly.

The Shogun was dumbfounded once again. "I… I…"

"Join me in rebuilding edo," Basho offered. "There is still time for us to make this city beautiful again."

"Basho… my brother. Will you forgive me?" the Shogun asked. Then he faced me. "And you as well, hero?"

I said, "I will, if you can tell me what exactly is going on with the other villains. You know, the immortality thing." The Shogun raised his eyebrows.

"I'm afraid I've been sworn to secrecy," he replied. "But I am sure there is someone else."

"Great, thanks." I mumbled, lacing my fingers together.

"C'mon, let's go," Annie said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "We don't want them to start hugging us, do we?"


	23. Shrink Ray

"You will assist me in every way." a royal voice boomed towards a young girl. She fidgeted with her glasses, and puffed out her chest.

"Of course. You saved me," she replied. "And will I get my reward?"

"Yes," the royal voice said, its owner standing up. "My brothers- nor the other gods- are aware you're here. They will all be worried about that other brat. The mortal villains will to try earn immortality, a bounty for her that I posed up as a distraction."

"But why?" the girl questioned. "Why do you need her?"

"It's part of my big plan," the man answered. "I swore revenge on her, and she would be a good distraction. All they will care about is her, and they will not expect my real plan- which is where you come in."

"Oh, yes, of course, m'lord," the girl said, lacing her fingers together. "But don't forget your promise."

"I shan't," the man replied, with a sly smile. "As long as you do as I ask. One of my requests is that you will stay in this world. You will not go back to your home world."

The girl bit her lip. "But what about-" She ended her protest when she saw the man's piercing gaze. "Of course. I'll stay here, m'lord." The man slyly grinned; the girl let out a cry, trapping her in the world forever.

ALICE

We headed into PS 101, which is kind of similar to my school. It's made of stone brick, and the inside has all the regular things- lockers, smelly toilets, and sport awards. We skipped past those and headed into the River City science fair, which is in the school's gym. As much as I wanted to check out the science exhibits, we didn't have time, so we headed to the end. Mr. Silva, the antagonist (though we weren't supposed to know it) was at the end of the room, as well as C.J's- the protagonist- parents.

We spoke with C.J's parents, who were worried about their daughter. Despite being her parents, they didn't go out looking for her. Oh well. Her father told us to head on over to their apartment, which is on Avenue A. On the way, I told Fierce Fox a bit about the island.

"So, C.J is the star of the school because she's so smart, but she's gone missing for the science fair," I explained. "Our job is to find her."

"Well, shouldn't you already know where she is?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

"I do know where she is," I answered, suddenly feeling a tingle down my spine. "But I'd rather not say it right now…" Fierce Fox gave me another glance as we entered C.J's apartment. I haven't been to many apartments, but if they all look like C.J's, then I'm definitely going to avoid visiting another one.

The wallpaper is torn and covered in weird smudges, and there's also such smudges in other parts of the house. Mess is pretty much everywhere, like the house isn't well cared for. It also isn't very big, so I felt a little crammed being in there. Perfect environment for shrinking.

"Oops, we let a cat in the house." Fierce Fox piped up, eyeing a ginger cat.

"Wait," I said, holding up my hands. I remembered the words of the people from my school, and how they were talking about the shrink ray. "I… I don't think it's safe for me to be in here."

"What do you mean?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. "It's just an apartment."

"Danger can be anywhere, Fierce Fox," I explained. "I just… don't think I should be in here. You go. Chase after the cat. Think small. I'll be back soon to help you, okay?" Fierce Fox's brow furrowed, but she left me alone. Again, I remembered the splitting up thing, but it was only for a minute, so I figured we'd be fine. I exited the unpleasant apartment, and came outside. My eyes scanned the sun, which was setting into the horizon. Staring at the sun brought back childhood memories, which settled over me like rays of peace. I almost smiled.

"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?" a voice growled from nearby. A man- looking like a bandit with a black hat and appearing to be from Wild West island- approached me, holding up C.J's shrink ray.

"No…" I breathed, taking a step back. I bent my knees, ready to jump, but it was too late.

He shot me with the shrink ray.

THIRD PERSON

Fierce Fox was inside C.J's apartment, exploring, when she heard a cry from outside. Her eyes widened as she followed the sound, her legs slightly bent. She opened the apartment's door, coming out into the night. As far as her eyes could see, she couldn't spot anyone, and definitely not Alice. Strange, since the human had promised to wait for her. But she wasn't there.

"Alice?" Fierce Fox called out, lookinh around. "Where are you?" But there was no answer. Alice had disappeared. Fierce Fox shook her head, knowing that the girl would be around somewhere. She always had a sense of where Alice was, since she was her voice, after all. She hoped it would lead her to her friend.

ALICE

All I saw was darkness, and giant objects all around me. Before I could move, a jar slammed over me. The sound shocked me so much that I tumbled onto my butt. A hand slid underneath me, and I felt myself and the jar being lifted into the air. A lid was placed onto the jar, and I took the chance to gaze at my captor. It was the bandit guy, and boy, was he scary as a giant. I was so freaked out that I turned away, and my eyes shut on their own. The man let out a deep chuckle, which would've been scary even if I was my normal size.

He dropped me into a bag, and my vision was darkness again. The world around me shook like a volcano; my head banged against the glass; my body felt sticky. As usual, it was painless, but that didn't stop fear welling up inside me like a balloon. I cried out for help, but I knew the attempt would be fruitless. Not even Fierce Fox could hear me.

Then, the rumbling calmed down, and I saw light from above, like I was entering Heaven. An enormous hand reached down and grabbed the jar, letting a new room come into my peripheral. I felt the jar get placed down lid-first onto a wooden desk, next to an Albert Einstein statuette (though, because of my size, it was more like a statue). Certificates cover the walls, and I saw books piled up in corners, as well as in a cupboard. I was in Mr. Silva's office.

"At last, I have the hero." my captor said slyly, taking off his mask. It was indeed Mr. Silva, with evil in his eyes. Not even the teacher at my school who runs detention could even come close to how terrifying Mr. Silva appeared. He smiled wickedly.

"Let me go!" I demanded, pounding my small fists against the jar, despite my controlling fear. Mr. Silva's cruel smile just grew.

"Never!" he replied. "I'm the first villain to finally capture you! Now that I have you, I'll not only make millions, but I'll never die! HA HA HA!"

"What do you mean, 'never die'?" I questioned frantically. "Why's everyone talking about immortality?" The more I asked the question, the more frustrating it got.

"Oh, I'd love to tell you, but I'm afraid a secret must be kept a secret." Mr. Silva answered, with a shrug. I felt anger prickle my skin. Of course he'd say that, I grumbled. No one gives me answers anymore.

"So… what're you gonna do now?" I asked, my courage starting to shatter. "Kill me?"

"Nope!" Mr. Silva replied gleefully. Then his brow furrowed. "No… Goodness, I have forgotten what I need to do. I believe I need to send you somewhere…" He bit his lip, and rummaged through a pile of books. He picked up a small poster, and a smile spread across his face. "Ah, perfect! Wait… Hmm…Oh dear, how do I do that?" He tapped his chin, then faced me. "Well, it turns out the sending process is going to take some… configuration. But don't get so worked up, hero, because it won't take that long. I will be back for you soon, trust me. In the meantime, enjoy your last moments under that jar. HA HA HA!" Then he exited the room with a slam of the door.

I let out a groan, and sunk to the floor. How am I going to get out of this mess? I thought. Fierce Fox was still back at Avenue A, and there was no way I was going to be able to contact her. I gazed at my necklace, and savoured the idea. It sounded very tempting, but I decided against it for three reasons:

1\. I didn't really want to call the gods unless it got completely out of hand (like, no chance whatsoever).

2\. They were probably busy and I might've annoyed them if I called.

3\. Since they're so huge, seeing them with my tiny size could've given me a heart attack.

There must be another way out of this jar, I thought. I gazed at the jar wall, and held out my hands. I felt myself gulp, and suddenly retract back. Come on Alice, I told myself. It's just a little fall. You're not gonna die. So I reared back as far as I could (which wasn't that far) and jumped, shoving every ounce of strength onto the wall.

However, it didn't work. No matter how hard I pushed, it just wouldn't work. Of course it isn't working, a voice in my head scoffed. It's because you can't push jars, that's all. I ignored it, and tried again, but had no prevail.

"Need some help?" a voice asked nearby. A girl, who was my size, walked over to me. She has dark skin; shoulder length, dark brown hair which has beaded locks; a striped, blue hoodie; black pants; a pink-lipped smile. The girl I was staring at is none other than C.J.

"Um… yeah." I said dumbly as a reply, though C.J simply smiled.

"Alright," C.J instructed. "Just shove the side as hard as you can, and I'll help." So, with her instructions in mind, I shoved the side of the jar, while C.J pushed on the outside. As Athena once said, two forces surpass the power of one, and we knocked over the jar. It fell onto the side- and somehow- C.J removed the lid. I climbed out, never feeling more relieved to breath in fresh air.

"Thanks," I thanked C.J, with a smirk. "Wait… how did you-"

"Find you?" C.J interrupted. "Yeah, it wasn't hard. I snuck in here before, and overheard Mr. Silva's weird plans. Then, he put you in here, so I rescued you."

"I see," I replied. I bit my lip. "Do you-"

"Know about you?" C.J asked, being the know-it-all. "Yeah, heard about it from Mr. Silva. You're some kind of hero that decides Poptropica's fate, right?"

"As much as I don't like it…" I didn't need C.J- or me- to finish my sentence. We already understood. I sighed. "So, what do we do now? Mr. Silva still has the shrink ray, and heaven knows where he is- or what he's doing."

"Well, we can use our small size to our advantage," C.J replied, with a smirk. "It's way easier to sneak around now that we're tiny." With that note, she leaped off the desk, and landed swiftly on a pot plant. She gestured to an open window, which was open wide enough to fit us. With sweat building on my hands, I leaped after her, landing on the pot plant, which gave me uncomfortable memories of Planty from Steamworks Island.

We exited Mr. Silva's office and stood on his windowsill, getting a view of the street. It stretched out in front of us- I could see houses, roads, skateboards and various other things you would find on a typical street. I sat down on the stone windowsill, while C.J gazed around, like a meerkat would.

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are we doing?" I asked, surprised at my sass. C.J let out a chuckle.

"We're going to find Mr. Silva," she explained. "We're going to take back the shrink ray, and use it to grow to normal size. Then, we'll call the cops, and have him arrested."

"Nice plan, but what if he catches us, or shrinks us again?" I asked, with apprehension. C.J's face darkened.

"That's why we need to be extra careful." she replied.

"But do you know where he is?" I asked, feeling myself shiver.

"Not exactly," C.J answered honestly. "But I saw that poster. It said you have to get the attention of some… God of thunder, whatever that means, then you will be rewarded with immortality."

"Some God of thunder?" I questioned. Then, suddenly, I felt the pieces being placed together- it was so obvious! Zeus was granting immortality to whatever villain that could bring me to him. I'm a prize. "I know! I KNOW WHAT THEY ALL MEAN!" I hadn't felt so pleased for figuring something out apart from when I did algebra.

"Huh?" C.J asked, raising her brow.

"Um… it's a long story," I replied. "But let's just say this thunder god and I have some... history, and he wants me captured. In other words, keep me away from Mr. Silva."

"Got it," C.J said, gazing around. "Speaking of Mr. Silva, I see him coming now." Right on cue, Mr. Silva walked past, so we hid by the side of the window. The shrink ray was clutched in Mr. Silva's hand, as well as a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sacrifice," he mumbled. "What could I sacrifice?" He gazed at the shrink ray. "No, no… not this." He peered into the office. "Maybe that statuette," Then he narrowed his eyes. "Wait a second…" He raced around to the school's entrance, still holding the shrink ray. We saw him enter the office and gasp in horror at my escape.

"Uh…" I whispered to C.J, as Mr. Silva bared his teeth.

"That hero thinks she can get away so easily, doesn't she?" Mr. Silva growled. He began scouring his office, searching for me. I noticed he placed the shrink ray on his desk as he searched through a pile of books.

"Now's the best and worst time to go after the shrink ray…" I grumbled to C.J. "But it's also the only time. What're we gonna do?"

"I think sometimes the best thing you can do is think small." C.J answered, tapping her chin in thought. I groaned, not really willing to take quotes as an answer. Then, I decided to do what you would do in science- analyze the words. Think small? She must mean… don't go overdose with your plan. Then I got an idea. I only needed one, small thing.

"Fierce Fox!" I gasped, piping up. C.J gave me a look.

"Who's Fierce Fox?" she asked, her brow raised.

"My friend. We have to get in contact with her… somehow." I answered, tapping my chin. "She's only one small thing. One thing that can save us."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," a voice boomed nearby us. Mr. Silva was there, and he was holding up the shrink ray threateningly. "Don't take one more step, ladies." I glanced at C.J.

"Run for it!" she cried, despite Mr. Silva's threat. He growled and fired the shrink ray, but C.J and I jumped out of the way. The shrink ray ended up shrinking the window; it fell off the wall and smashed onto the ground. This did not make Mr. Silva happy in any way and he fired at us again, rage covering his face. Fierce Fox, please! I telepathically screamed. I'm your voice! You have to come to me!

"STOP RUNNING!" Mr. Silva yelled, firing again at me. I rolled out of the way like an idiot. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I knew I needed to avoid getting hit. And I needed Fierce Fox to come.

Mr. Silva raised his foot above my head, when a voice called, "HEY! YOU!" It was unmistakably Fierce Fox's voice. Her red hair flowed in the wind; her hand tightened around her lighting staff.

"Oh? So have you come to the party?" Mr. Silva jeered, aiming at Fierce Fox. She leaped over his blast, which instead hit a lamp post. Her feet landed onto Mr. Silva's body- it turned out he wasn't good at karate, so he tumbled over. Fierce Fox picked up the shrink ray, while Mr. Silva yelled insults at her. I felt myself gulp, as I braced against the stone wall. I didn't know where C.J was, but I hoped she was alright.

"FIERCE FOX!" I called out, as loud as I could. I prayed that she could hear me. It turned out she couldn't, but she did hear someone. She faced the ground, and fiddled with the shrink ray. C.J suddenly shot up to normal size, which made me very apprehensive now that there were three giants.

Fierce Fox and C.J found me, and I was returned to normal size. We tied up Mr. Silva and brought him inside, where the police took care of him. Meanwhile, C.J used her shrink ray as her science project, and of course, won first prize.

"Thanks for all the help," I said to her, with a grin. "I couldn't have done it without you. And plus, it was… interesting, having a different partner."

C.J chuckled, "No problem!" Then her smile shrunk. "Hey, I never got to know your name!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we heroes sometimes are known as 'hero' rather than our names. I'm Alice."

"Nice to meet you," C.J replied. She handed Fierce Fox the medallion. "Keep in touch."

"Of course." I said, as the screen turned white.


	24. Chapter 24

I met my new friend through piling luggage onto a train in 1893.

"Thank you for your help!" Thomas Edison thanked Fierce Fox and I. He has short, grey hair, and wears a formal, brown tuxedo. In case you didn't know, he's a famous inventor that invented the phonograph and the light bulb. He smiled at us and rummaged through his pockets. "Say, how would you two like to come along with me to Chicago? I could use your help again." He handed Fierce Fox a train ticket, then turned to me. "And for the hero." He gave me a ticket.

"You know too?" I asked, though I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Doesn't everyone?" Thomas replied, with a chuckle. "Yes. It was in the newspaper- talking about 'Poptropica's hero' that defeated criminals."

"Wow… I'm more popular than I thought," I chuckled. "But you're pretty popular too. I have to say it before I forget- thanks for inventing the light bulb. Trust me, everyone loves it."

Thomas smiled. "You're welcome… Alice, isn't it?" I nodded. "Pleasure's mine. I'll meet you both on board in my cabin, where you can see another one of my inventions." Then Thomas wandered off, leaving Fierce Fox and I alone.

"Please stop clicking with everyone," Fierce Fox groaned. "It makes me feel like an outcast."

I laughed, though with a bit of sorrow. "I never click with anyone in my world. I'm normally shy… if there's one good thing about this hero stuff, it's that it's helping my confidence." I sighed. "Now come on, we've got a train to board."

"The wheel isn't working!" George Ferris- inventor of the Ferris wheel- cried. We were on the train, which is an old steam train, which you rarely see these days. The train has posh walls, a lush carpet, and various carriages. I felt a little bad for George Ferris, but I knew he'd be fine in the end. Fierce Fox and I continued our walk through the train; we spoke to the following people:

Nikola Tesla (Thomas Edison's rival), Gustave Eiffel (the guy who invented the Eiffel Tower), Susan B. Anthony (a feminist, basically), Eric Weisz (aka Harry Houdini), a New York Times reporter, Mark Twain (a famous author), and finally, Mademoiselle Moreau (the antagonist, Paris enthusiast and Le Monde reporter). Oh, and we picked up a pencil. Then we spoke with Thomas Edison.

"I'm going to unravel an incredible new device," Thomas explained, pointing to his device (more commonly known as a video camera). "It actually captures moving pictures! Let's try it out." He pressed a button; the engines started whirring. He beamed. "It's working! Wait here, I've got to go and find that New York Times reporter!" He exited the room, leaving Fierce Fox and I alone.

"Three, two, one." I said, snapping my fingers. The train drove into a tunnel; darkness filled the entire room.

"I can't see a thing!" Fierce Fox cried. Light suddenly returned, and Thomas Edison's device had vanished. Perfect timing; Thomas re-entered with the New York Times reporter.

"My machine!" Thomas gasped, waving his arms, before glaring suspiciously at Fierce Fox and I. "What have you done with it?"

"I don't know what happened to it!" Fierce Fox answered with shock. "It was here when the lights went out, and then…"

"My invention- stolen!" Thomas Edison cried. "The thief can't have gotten far…"

"You're right," I said, nodding. "In fact, they could be right next door." I winked. I turned to Fierce Fox. "Come on Fierce Fox, we've got a mystery to solve." She nodded, and followed me out of Thomas Edison's cabin.

"Alright, spill the beans. Who's the thief?" Fierce Fox asked, folding her arms.

"I won't tell you right now, but I did give away a clue- right next door." I replied, with a smirk.

Fierce Fox made a face. "Come on, let's just bust the thief and get rewarded. Easy."

"Not quite," I replied, biting my lip. "I say we should bust the thief with clues, rather than just tell everyone, like in the original island. We should stick to the storyline- it's safer." Fierce Fox sighed, but gave me a nod. We headed into Mark Twain's cabin, who we were accusing of being the thief (although I knew he wasn't). All we found was a manuscript for a book. After that, the train stopped moving.

"Where is that incompetent coal man?" the conductor complained. "This must be his fault!"

"The thief is now swapping some things around," I told Fierce Fox. "We need to figure out a way to bust them."

"I just remembered," the New York Times reporter approached us. "I heard somebody running past my cabin from the direction of Edison's room around the time of the theft. Maybe they left a clue outside the door!"

"All aboard!" the conductor called. We returned to the train. Fierce Fox followed me to the luggage carriage, which- unsurprisingly- is full of luggage.

"Alright," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "See how this carriage has coal smudges on it? Now-"

"LOOK OUT!" Fierce Fox cried, grabbing my hair. She shoved me down just in time; a pair of scissors landed above my head. "Looks like someone doesn't want us snooping around!"

"You got that right," I replied, picking up the scissors. "Come on, let's go out here," Fierce Fox obliged, and followed me through the train. "I may as well explain the storyline to you, so you understand what's going on. As I was saying, the coal smudges aren't actually from the coal man, although he did leave the engine room to get a snack. So he didn't stop the train. The thief did, while he was gone. The thief stopped the train as a distraction, so they could put Edison's device into their luggage."

"That luggage belonged to Nikola Tesla…" Fierce Fox gasped in response. "So he must be the thief!"

"Actually, Tesla isn't the thief," I pointed out. "The thief swapped their nametag with Tesla's, so it looks like he's the thief. All the evidence points to him as well, so the thief's plan falls into place. He has what the thief really wants. You see, the thief only stole Edison's device as a distraction."

"They did?" Fierce Fox asked. Her eyes widened. "So the thief must want us to frame Tesla, so they can get… the thing that they want."

"Bingo." I replied, with a grin.

"But why would they want Tesla's thingy?" Fierce Fox asked, her eyes intense.

"You'll see," I answered. I rolled my eyes. "It's actually for a very stupid reason."

"We need to tell everyone about this!" Fierce Fox cried, waving her arms. "So we can stop the thief!"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "We have no evidence to prove it. That's what I meant by all the clue stuff."

Fierce Fox brushed a strand of red hair out of her face. "Then where do we get the evidence?"

"Easy," I answered, lacing my fingers together. "We need to frame Tesla."

Framing an innocent man when you know he's innocent is like punching a kitten. You know they did nothing wrong, but you're punishing them anyway. Trust me, it sucks. And it's happened to me before at school- with Chrissi and her stupid gang. Don't get me started on them.

Anyway, we spoke with the real thief, Mademoiselle Moreau (unbeknownst to Fierce Fox). She gave us the 'ingenious' idea of dressing up as the porter to bring Tesla a drink. However, only Fierce Fox could go in, as she conveniently looked like the porter. I told her what to do, and she served Nikola Tesla.

She managed to steal his luggage key (which is actually the thief's luggage key that was thrown in by the thief), and we opened 'Tesla's' luggage. Inside, no surprise, was Edison's device. And so, the poor 'kitten', was dragged away for no reason.

We returned Edison's device back to its owner.

"Tesla and I are rivals, but I can't believe he would resort to thievery," Thomas said, as we stood in his cabin. "There must be more to the story…."

"You are absolutely right," I replied, my smart-mouth taking over. I explained the whole scenario to him, like I did with Fierce Fox. We also looked at the device, which showed Tesla on the other side of the train. Dead proof.

"I can't believe it…" Thomas gasped, once I'd finished the story. "The thief wants Tesla's… transformer, you say?" I nodded. "So they took my invention as a distraction?" I nodded once more. "Peculiar indeed… but how do you know all this?"

"Err…" I bit my lip. "I figured it out."

"With that little evidence?" Thomas questioned. A small smile appeared on his face. "I've got to congratulate your detective skills, but if you knew Tesla was innocent, then why-"

"Did I frame him?" I finished. I let my arms guiltily fall by my sides. "I needed evidence, or you might've not believed me. Or anyone else. And I needed the story to progress, I guess you could say." Thomas gave me a skeptical glance. "Look, I just needed to prove Tesla's innocence. But don't worry, I'll free him."

"Don't bother," Thomas replied. "I'll tell the guards the story. They'll release him." He raised his eyebrow. "Do you know who the real thief is?"

"Yes," I answered, gazing at Fierce Fox. "And we're about to bust her."

"I'm confused," Fierce Fox said, as she and I headed back to the luggage carriage. "How did the thief get to Tesla's device? I mean, the key for his briefcase was around his neck!"

"The thief used one of Eric Weisz's- or should I say Harry Houdini's- lockpicks." I answered. I rubbed my temples. "Poor Tesla. I still feel guilty for locking him up. Maybe I should buy him some popcorn or something when we get to Chicago."

"Do you even have any money?" Fierce Fox asked, as we stood in front of 'Tesla's' luggage. I shrugged, and lifted the lid off the suitcase. A large, white napkin was covering various items; I reached down to pick it up, when-

"NOT SO FAST!" a voice yelled. Another pair of scissors flew at my head; I would've gotten hit if Fierce Fox hadn't shoved me out of the way.

"You do realize that there are more dangerous weapons!" I shouted at the thief, who scowled at me. It was none other than Mademoiselle Moreau, the Paris enthusiast.

"I will not let you ruin my plans, hero!" she growled, folding her arms. "Paris will always be the greatest city in the world!"

"Nah. New York is better," I replied mockingly, which caused Mademoiselle Moreau to bare her teeth. Fierce Fox reached for Mademoiselle Moreau's suitcase. "And now you're about to get busted!"

"I don't think so!" Mademoiselle Moreau retorted, racing off. Fierce Fox and I chased after her, grabbing the attention of nearby passengers. Mademoiselle Moreau didn't stop running until she came to the end of the restaurant carriage. She threateningly held Tesla's transformer outside the train's door, with a wicked grin. "If you tell anyone about my plans, it's goodbye to Monsieur Tesla's transformer!"

I gulped, suddenly feeling clueless. Even more, I regretted forcing Tesla into captivity. It was a mistake, and I didn't have enough money to buy everyone popcorn.

"Stupid…" I muttered, feeling like banging my head on the wall. Why didn't I figure out another way to find evidence? I should've told everyone about the thief! Gah! Stupid, stupid!

"What's going on?" a voice asked. It belonged to Susan B. Anthony, who was also on the carriage.

"Madame Anthony!" Mademoiselle Moreau cried, hiding the transformer behind her back. "Ah, I was just having a... conversation with my friends here." I could see the cruelty growing in her eyes, as she glared at Fierce Fox and I.

"It seemed like you were yelling at them," Susan B. Anthony pointed out. She raised her brow at Mademoiselle Moreau's arms, which were suspiciously behind her back. "I don't mean to be nosy, but… are you hiding something behind your back?"

"Of course not!" Mademoiselle Moreau lied, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. Fierce Fox and I glanced at each other.

"Uh… very well, then," Susan B. Anthony replied, though she didn't sound convinced. She smiled at Fierce Fox and I. "So, have you two solved the mystery yet?"

"They have indeed," another voice said. This time it was Tesla's voice, and he was not giving me a friendly look. I couldn't blame him. Mademoiselle Moreau gulped. "But the thief is still on board." Suddenly, I felt the train slow down, and the scenery outside stopped moving.

"We've arrived at the fair." Susan B. Anthony said, as I slowly exhaled.

Fierce Fox and I followed Mademoiselle Moreau out of the train, getting to the Chicago train station. It's a larger station than those on Wild West island, and covered in American flags and colours.

"Mr. Edison!" I cried, when I saw Thomas climbing off the train. "The thief's Mademoiselle Moreau! I don't know why I didn't say it before- my paranoia, I guess. Tell everyone. Especially Tesla. And tell him I'm sorry for framing him."

"I will," Thomas Edison replied. He eyed an aggressive Mademoiselle Moreau sprinting away. "Mademoiselle Moreau is getting away! Go after her, quickly!" I nodded, and Fierce Fox and I began the chase.

We walked right into a show full of performers. People were juggling flaming swords and feeding lions. The area looks like an Arabic area, similar to the Golden Harbour from Skullduggery. Expect there's less gold. Mademoiselle Moreau was near the end, complaining to the guards about us. Oh, the nerve! So the guards came after us. We didn't want to get caught by them, so Fierce Fox and I leaped over the lions and people juggling dangerous objects.

A snake charmer was playing his flute. His snake's head became our platform, so we climbed aboard. Then we accidentally interrupted an Indian-style dancing show, which is quite a sight for sore eyes. However, we didn't have time to admire the dancers, as Mademoiselle Moreau was still on the run. So we continued the chase, which involved knocking over a gazillion totems.

Eventually, we came to the Ferris wheel- the invention of the George Ferris.

"Stop this, Mademoiselle Moreau!" I yelled at Mademoiselle Moreau, who was climbing the carriages of the Ferris wheel. "Seriously though... you could've just dropped the transformer thingy on the train!" The thought came to my mind...

"It's more dramatic here!" Mademoiselle Moreau replied, which is another stupid response. "But a drop is a drop. Say goodbye to Tesla's transformer!"

"I'll congratulate you on being the first villain who actually doesn't want to kill or use me," I shouted back, as Fierce Fox and I leaped up the Ferris wheel. "But that doesn't mean we won't stop you!" Just as I said this, thunder and lightning filled the sky, and rain poured down. The Ferris wheel carriage wobbled slightly, and I felt weeds growing within its planks. It needed a bit of work, it turned out. But I didn't have time to worry about that.

I faced Fierce Fox. "Can you get the transformer for me? I… I don't know if I want to jump around so high." Fierce Fox shrugged, but leaped off anyway. She chased Mademoiselle Moreau around, even doing a Tarzan-style swing on a rope. Mademoiselle Moreau wasn't impressed.

"No more games!" she cried. She held out Tesla's invention. "Now, say goodbye to Tesla's transformer!" Fierce Fox climbed aboard a hanging rope, and swung down to grab it- but missed. Since when does Fierce Fox miss?!

I scrambled around on the ground, eyeing Tesla's transformer. It's worth a shot, I thought. I held out my arms, as if I was going to catch a baby. I bent my knees; the invention continued plummeting down from the sky. I bit my lip and hopped up, reaching for the invention. It brushed my fingertips; I plucked it from the sky and held it to my chest, like a baby- or a kitten. Lucky. Meanwhile, a bolt of lighting freaked out Mademoiselle Moreau; she fell down from the sky and landed in a watery cage.

"Help! I can't swim!" she cried, flailing around. Harry Houdini looked pretty pleased with himself.

"Thank you for saving the transformer!" George Ferris said, once I handed him Tesla's transformer. "Now my Ferris wheel will work!"

Grover Cleveland, the American president, smiled at us. "As a thanks, take this presidential medallion-"

"Wait, Mr. President," I said, holding up my hand. "Where's Thomas Edison? I kinda wanna say goodbye."

"Mr. Edison is back there," Grover Cleveland answered, gesturing backwards. "Showing off his device." I nodded, and followed his direction. I don't know why, but it just felt right to say goodbye. And it's polite.

Sure enough, I found Thomas Edison gloating his invention, with a proud smile. It changed to a friendly smile when he saw me.

"Hello, Alice," he greeted. "Tesla's glad to have his invention back- and he forgave you for heroically rescuing it."

"That was utter luck." I said, though I felt a little proud of myself.

"I must show you my invention properly!" Thomas exclaimed, walking up to me. "You never really got to see it, did you?"

"No… and I'd love to, but I have to go now." I replied, feeling a bit depressed. "I came to say goodbye."

"Oh…" Thomas replied. He patted my shoulder. "Well, it was nice knowing you. But maybe you have time for one test of my invention?" I tapped my chin, then nodded.

"One test." I replied. Thomas pressed a button on the device; the engine started whirring. He and I stood in front of the lens and let it record us for a few seconds. Thomas switched it off and pressed a few more buttons, before handing me a picture. It was a grainy, yet still-visible image of he and I standing together, the Chicago fair in the background.

"You can have it," Thomas said, with a smile. "It's a souvenir. Now you should probably be going! Your friend will be waiting for you." I nodded with a grin, and tucked the photo into my pocket. I felt a little weird, since I'd just taken a picture with the dude who'd invented the light bulb, camera and other stuff. Oh, and who was technically dead in my world. But at the same time, I felt bliss. The bliss you feel with a friend.

"Thanks." I replied. I raised my hand in goodbye, while the other slipped over the photo in my pocket. It was definitely something for my treasure box.


	25. Game Show

...

The man smiled at her, as she sat in his lap. "You see the stars, spark?"

She looked up at the black sky, noticing the glittering diamonds between puffy clouds. "Yeah… I see them. They're pretty."

"Back in the day, sailors and heroes used them as guides," the man explains. He pats her back. "These days, people use Google Maps and the internet. But I say the stars are still one heck of a guide if you ever want to use them. Maybe even better if you know where to go."

She smiled. "Especially when I'm a hero?"

He grinned and ruffled her hair. "Of course. The stars will always be your guide, spark."

ALICE

Game Show Island, in short, is totally taken over by robots. There are signs about robots everywhere, and most buildings have electronic cameras controlled by robots. And basically everything's a robot; even the trees. The only things that aren't robots are the Poptropicans (aka humans), of course. We skipped speaking to people- or should I say robots- and headed into the white, marble museum. Like everything, it's powered by electricity.

Inside there are statues of robots, and platforms built from circuits. Fierce Fox and I watched a video explaining the backstory, which was good for me because I didn't have to explain it for once. The video shows how robots were once used for 'slavery', then this man called 'the inventor' built an intellectually intelligent robot, Holmes, that beat everybody in a game show called Brainiacs.

However, the inventor received all the prizes, and Holmes got jealous. With his intelligence, robots took over the world. Meanwhile, the inventor got away, and the robots were looking for him so they could complete their 'justice'. Kind of weird, but understandable.

After that, we spoke to a Poptropican wearing a robot costume. He told us to find a toolkit, so we could sneak into a nightclub, which isn't something I would normally do (my mom would hate it). We found the toolkit on the nightclub's roof, then headed over to a factory. A couple of robots gave me skeptical glances, which I tried to ignore.

Soon, we arrived at the stone-built factory, which has so many conveyor belts I can't even tell you. We entered the factory, climbed up some moving platforms, and controlled a crane. Why, you ask, did we do this? It was to get a machine working, so we could receive an incredibly powerful fan (or, two, since both of us helped out).

Then we entered the nightclub, Club Nouveau Riche. It's a typical nightclub- dance floor; disco ball; dancing robots (well, that's not very typical); comfy lounges; lack of light. The humidity in the air made my skin itch, as we approached a disco robot. I blasted him with the powerful fan. Unlike other robots, he actually thanked me, and paid me a nickel.

Fierce Fox and I returned to the factory. Except we passed it, and found a homeless guy chilling on the outskirts. I noticed mountains of discarded robot parts behind him, which is like if we humans had mountains of our bones sitting around. A little creepy if you ask me.

Anyway, we gave the homeless guy the nickel. He accepted it with a smile.

"Thanks, friends," he said kindly. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it." Fierce Fox replied proudly.

"Here, I found these goggles in the trash bin behind the factory. I'm not sure what they do, but they look pretty sharp." the guy handed us heat vision goggles, which to me looked like an insect's head or something.

"Um… thanks?" Fierce Fox said, just as weirded out by the goggles as I was. The guy left to buy some soap, so we returned to Club Nouveau Riche.

"These are heat vision goggles," I explained, once we were inside. "They're gonna help us find an important character." Fierce Fox shrugged as I placed on the 'insect head'. I looked around, the humans glowing a bright orange. One of the orange creatures snuck into a vent; I let out a gasp (only for dramatic affect, of course). "A guy just went up a vent! Let's get him!" I said, and Fierce Fox nodded.

We exited the nightclub and stood nearby the entrance. I whipped out the fan and turned it on. It must've been a pretty powerful fan, because it was able to lift me into the air (either that or I'm pretty skinny). It was a little hard to control; a bit more difficult than flying on Super Power Island.

Fierce Fox was way better at it, of course. Eventually we made it onto a glowing tower of Club Nouveau Riche, where there's a door. Using the toolkit, we broke in. What we discovered is an old, abandoned, garage-like space. There are stacks of planks, dead machines and boxes. And a broken air con.

"How did you get here?!" a voice demanded. A man popped out of a vent. It was none other than the inventor. He stared at me. "Oh no. Not you!" Really nice greeting, man.

"We're here to help!" Fierce Fox said reassuringly. I attempted an amiable smile.

"No! I don't trust you, robots-in-disguise!" the inventor yelled. "Especially the hero girl! No one's going to catch me!" He raced off, leaving Fierce Fox and I in the dust. He knocked over a few things on the way, which made the chase a little harder. Eventually, he escaped onto the roof and locked the door. We broke through using the heat vision goggles and some science (science is what I'm all about). We arrived on the tippy top of Club Nouveau Riche, where the inventor was standing.

"I never thought anyone would have the brains to figure out how to catch me," the inventor observed, raising his brow. He has thick, chocolate-brown hair styled on his head, and a brown goatee. He wears glasses; a lab coat; black pants. "Are you going to turn me over to Holmes? I mean, you're the hero and all."

"No," I answered. "That's not what I'm here for. Fierce Fox and I want to help all these people who seem so sad. Though Holmes says you're a greedy thief…"

The inventor sighed. "It seems you've only heard one side of the story. Here, take a look at my UPad." We watched a video on his 'UPad'. As well as discovering his real name- Dr. Harold Langley- we learnt that Holmes was built for technology of the future, and a 'new age of prosperity'. Apparently, Holmes was only used in Brainiacs to test his competitive ability, and the inventor- or should I say Dr. Harold- didn't care if he won or lost. Dr. Harold sighed. "As you can see, things didn't work out as I'd hoped."

"Is there anything we can do?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Humans have lost their belief in a brighter future. If you two- especially the hero- become game show champions, you may be the inspiration they need." Dr. Harold answered, which made sense to me. After all, humans built robots. We can take them apart, too.

"But how can we get on those shows?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

"I think I can arrange a ride for you two." Dr. Harold said, handing us a remote control. So, we basically got a free plane to fly and travel the world in, which was pretty awesome. I pressed a button on the remote, and like a puppy dog, the plane came right for us.

Our first country was Istanbul. In case you didn't know, it's a city in Turkey. The real Istanbul is a little different from Game Show Island's. First of all, in real life, there are more… humans. Also, in Game Show Island, everything has that robotic touch. Even the food. This includes a robotic version of the Byzantine Hagia Sophia (I recommend you look it up; it's pretty cool). We climbed some robotic palm trees and found a Poptropican standing next to a crane.

We helped him sort out some pedestals. In return, he handed us a Scaredy Pants game ticket. Then I gulped, realizing something.

"Oh no…" I said, staring nervously at Fierce Fox. "I just realized! Only one of us can compete in each challenge! Gah… I'm an idiot!"

"Well…" Fierce Fox tapped her chin. "How about we work as a team? What I mean is, both of us compete separately and all, but we make it obvious we're working together, like we're on the same team. It'll freak the robots out, because the more the merrier, right? There'll be two humans going against them!"

"That's not a bad idea…" I replied, contemplating the idea in my head. I felt it click, which in my mental terms, means the idea's good. "Yeah! Yeah! I mean, no offense, it's probably better if I compete in more events than you, but both of us should definitely compete." Then I raised my eyebrows. "Wait… since when do you come up with the ideas?"

"Maybe getting a break from my voice has given me some freedom," Fierce Fox answered, her eye twinkling. "Anyway, who's going to compete in Scaredy Pants?"

"You can," I answered. I smiled. "But first, we'll need to make sure everyone knows we're on the same team."

Fierce Fox entered Scaredy Pants under the alias 'Team Foxes at Manchester' (hence Fierce Fox's name, my last name- Manchester- and the place in New York). We ended up going to the Poptropica Store (whole other story) and buying an outfit for the team- Fierce Fox was strangely excited about this, though she tried to hide it. It was a simple costume of black pants and a rainbow shirt. Fierce Fox went on Scaredy Pants, and crushed the competition. Good thing, since I didn't want to be on that show.

After that, we hopped onto the plane and flew over to a tropical paradise: good old Miami. I'm pretty sure you've at least heard of Miami. If not, look it up. We landed on a large, gleaming cruise ship. The two of us climbed off and jumped onto a sandy beach, which is decorated with seashells. Next to the sea is a little, white hotel. The bottom part of the exterior is decorated with seashells.

A robot husband and wife (I think) were arguing over something. The lady robot was retiring from the show because she'd been kicked off, and was chucking prizes out the window. Or at least onto the ledges. Meanwhile, the guy robot was begging for her to stop harming his 'babies'.

We saved the guy robot's 'babies'; he thanked us by giving us the next game show ticket- Spin for Riches. This time I was competing, since it's way less dangerous (and terrifying) than Scaredy Pants. Now, Spin for Riches is more of a 'guess and check' kind of game, which is what I'm all about. (Have I mentioned science is awesome? I mean, guess and check is science.)

You have to spin a wheel and earn clues to figure out a hidden word. Sort of like hangman. For example, I got this clue: Cat and U.S president. I had to spin a wheel, guess some letters, until I got the answer: Garfield. I got a little lucky and won on the first round. I had to repeat this thrice. (Though I wasn't ace the entire time, admittedly. But then again, I'd played the island a gazillion times.)

And so, 'Foxes at Manchester' had a winning streak of two. Our faces were starting to become a little more recognized (especially me), and I had a feeling the robots were getting a little agitated. We took our plane to Buenos Aires, which is the capital of Argentina. It's a really pretty place, with towering, marble buildings, that'd make a beautiful historical site. Unfortunately, the tower clock wasn't working, so Fierce Fox and I fixed it- well, with a little help from a strong robot. The effort tired the robot out, so he handed Fierce Fox and I his Kerplunk game ticket.

"Looks cool," Fierce Fox said, smiling. "So, am I up?"

"Actually…" I tapped my chin. "I'm in a bit of an adventurous mood. Spin for Riches was kind of boring. How about we do a little, well, switching places? You can play Brainiacs and I'll do this."

"Since when are you adventurous?" Fierce Fox asked, with a chuckle. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I answered. "Wish me luck."

"A big welcome to our final contestant, Alice!" the host robot announced, as I walked into the show. "As you know, the contestant with the fastest time on the course wins!" He proceeded to show everyone the course, and I had second thoughts about choosing to compete on Kerplunk. Oh well, I thought. My fault.

The first part of the course is a wall of boots in cages, lunging out to kick you. Fun. I crawled on the ground, a boot bursting out above me. My skin tingled; I gulped. A boot shoot out in front of me; I shivered. Then, like a cheetah, I darted forward, as I was racing against time. I also shouted 'YOLO!' Next was a fountain of falling barrels and a few platforms. I leaped across the first platform, timing my jump so I didn't hit the barrels.

Then I had to grab onto a robot face that's attached to a swinging pole, to swing across to a moving platform. Gulping, I slipped off the swinging pole, and almost missed the platform. Luckily my fear stepped in- actually helping me for once- and allowed me to land on the platform. I hopped across the next few moving platforms, coming to the worst part of the obstacle course- slippery platforms.

My feet slipped on the purple muck, as I jumped over to the large, swaying, mushroom-shaped platform. I bent my knees to leap over to the next one, but I tripped, and fell on my face (really great for my reputation, especially since I was on TV). I wiped the purple muck out of my blonde hair and continued leaping across, having a few close calls. But overall, I did okay. I was slowly improving at platforms. I came second. The bad news was that there's more of the course I had to do.

"Let's do this." I told myself. And have fun, mom's voice said in my head. I obliged. I mean, Poptropica's all about having fun, right? I scoured my head for the competitive energy from 24 Carrot Island, and prayed it'd help me now. I'm going to win. I have to win. I faced the first obstacle: spinning wheels. I leaped onto the large, brown, spinning wheel, and slipped off. I sighed, flailing in the water, and climbed back on. I jumped onto the next platform, which led to a giant, bouncy pillow below.

I clambered onto the pillow and headed to the end, so I could get bounced off by the force of junk falling on the pillow. The junk smashed onto the pillow; I was launched into the air. I landed on a floating platform (mind you- it was a near miss), and leaped across a few of these, until I finished the course. And this time, I did come in first place.

"Well done, Alice!" the host robot congratulated me. "You won round two! Now, it's time for course three!" As usual, the course was shown. It's a huge wall of shifting platforms, sort of like the pipes on 24 Carrot Island, except there's way more platforms, and no pipes. I hopped onto the first platform, which rumbled beneath my feet. With adrenaline making my heart race, I leaped onto the next platform, and the one above that. However, it suddenly opened up, and I dropped a level. So I changed my tactic and started leaping diagonally across. It worked surprisingly well, even though I missed a few platforms.

Before I knew it, I was on the top, and I'd won. Since I'd won two out of three courses, I was the overall winner, which was a winning streak of three for 'Foxes at Manchester'. Fierce Fox and I took our plane over to Moscow, which is the capital of Russia. I was actually enjoying my voyage around the world- I'd been to four countries in one day (Poptropican physics at its finest, everyone).

Anyway, we arrived in Moscow (hello to all my Russians), which has artistic, tall turrets and a large, black building, powered by robot electricity. A robot stands out the front, near a wall of lights. Way on top of the building was a helicopter that needed to land. So, we helped the robot out by shining the correct signals at the helicopter, assisting it in landing safely. The robot who was driving the helicopter thanked us by giving us a ticket for Brainiacs, the show that caused Holmes to go to the dark side (Star Wars pun intended).

Fierce Fox went onto Brainiacs, with my instruction. It's basically a quiz game, where you have to guess the answers correctly and win money. Although smarts isn't really Fierce Fox's department- at least in my opinion- she dominated the competition and won easily. Go figure, Poptropican physics.

After Brainiacs, our team headed on over to Tokyo, which was country number five on our 'world tour'. Tokyo is Japan's major city, if you didn't know. Alright, the geography lesson's now over (well, sort of). Tokyo's a really vibrant city, and everything's written in Japanese (of course I don't understand Japanese).

Anyway, we helped the people of Tokyo fix their television, so they could watch Mr. Yoshi's Super Terrific Challenge. Now, unlike the other game shows, you aren't competing against anyone. You simply have to amuse Mr. Yoshi, who's basically the emperor of Poptropican Japan. I didn't really want to run around in wacky costumes (and Kerplunk had given me all the adrenaline I needed), so I let Fierce Fox go on the show. Of course, she aced the show, earning another victory for FaM (Foxes at Manchester).

We climbed into the plane, ready to fly back to Main Street, where it all began. 'The inventor' sent us a message. It said that Holmes was looking for us. Wonderful. And to prove his point, Holmes' face appeared on a screen in Main Street.

"This is Holmes speaking," Holmes announced. "I order all robots to find and apprehend 'Team Foxes at Manchester'- the prophesied hero and Fierce Fox. Whoever brings me these human scums will get a lifetime supply of oil!"

"Psst!" 'the inventor' whispered-shouted from the sewer. "Down here!" Somehow, the robots didn't notice this, yet Fierce Fox and I, who were on top of the roof, did. Oh well. We snuck down the roofs, Mission Impossible style, into the sewer. It's not actually a sewer, but Holmes' inner sanctum, or where he controls all the robots.

"What're we waiting for? Let's stop him!" Fierce Fox urged, holding up her lighting staff, which summoned some harmless lightning (you've gotta love the dramatic effects).

"It's not that easy," Dr. Harold sighed. "He's set up an advanced security system that I can't crack. But maybe you can."

"We'll give it a shot." Fierce Fox said bravely. Unfortunately, I'm no computer whiz, so I wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

"If you can reach him," Dr. Harold replied. "You should be able to reprogram him and end the robot menace. Upload this code to his mainframe!" He handed us a small, blue thumb-drive. We nodded and headed over to Holmes' mainframe, which is a giant, glowing, purple computer. Cogs are whirring around it, and there are tons of wires connected to it. We cracked the first code on a computer screen, which attracted the attention of a police robot.

"Stop right there, humans!" it yelled. "You'll never get away with this!"

"I am not impressed," Holmes' boomed, his face appearing on the computer screen. "I do not care that you are some hero of Poptropica. All humans are inferior to robots! Your prize money belongs to me!"

"We'd better hurry," Fierce Fox said, eyeing the police robot, who was cutting the wall. "That wall won't hold for long."

"Right," I replied, as we raced over to the next computer screen. "Let's take apart what humans- we- built." After a little configuring, we solved the next puzzle on screen. Holmes started to realize we were a threat.

"Perhaps we can work out a deal," he offered. We ignored him and slipped down an open passage. "You must forfeit your earnings and work for me. But I will give you weekends off!"

"When we're done, we'll have the entire year off!" I yelled mockingly at Holmes, which was my smart-mouth again. We passed more glowing machinery and stopped at the next computer; we solved the puzzle.

"I'll tell you what," an apprehensive Holmes appeared. "We can split the money, and I won't make you call me 'sir'." Again, the two of us ignored him, and slipped down another hole. We did the same old drill, and solved another puzzle. Holmes was getting more ticked off- and afraid. "You'll turn back now if you know what's good for you." We went down the last hole. There's a single computer- with Holmes' face on it.

"Let's do this." I said, as we approached the computer.

"Stay back!" Holmes warned, but of course we ignored him. Truthfully, I felt a little pang of sympathy for him. "I don't care that you're the hero! You can't touch me!"

"We'll see about that." I retorted. Fierce Fox pulled out the thumb-drive, and held it out. "Sayonara, Age of Robots." We plugged the thumb drive into the computer.

"What's going on?!" Holmes cried, as his face glitched. "Stop… aye… aye…" He made some weird beeping noises, and his language changed from French to Indonesian and a language I didn't recognize. "Mary had a little lamb…" he sung, as his face continued glitching. Finally, he kicked back into focus and stared at us. "Your intelligence is quite impressive… I can see why you were chosen to be a savior." he said to me, which made me smile. "Perhaps humans and robots were meant to work together." He paused. "Would you like to play tic-tac-toe?"

"That sounds like fun, Holmes." Fierce Fox voiced. 'The inventor' walked in behind us.

"Nice to have you back, Holmes," he greeted the computer. He faced us. "I can't thank you two enough for your help. Now we can look forward to a brighter future." He sighed. "Now I've got lots of work to do, as you have lots of… heroism to do. I assume your journey won't be easy, so feel free to borrow my plane whenever you need it."

"Oh, thank you!" I replied, grinning.

"On one condition," Dr. Harold held up his hand, which contained a letter. "Give this to my sister for me, please. I believe she lives on Virus Hunter Island. She's a doctor, and works with some group called the PDC. I haven't seen her since she went on a exploration to find some kind of virus." [A/N: This isn't canon btw.]

"Oh, sure…" I said, nodding and taking the letter. I had a feeling of who Dr. Harold's sister was.

"And one more thing," Dr. Harold held out the medallion. "As a bonus reward for your help." Fierce Fox accepted it, and I let the usual white feeling suck me away. I woke up on my usual bed, feeling my usual leg pain and hearing the usual birds outside tweeting.

"Oh well," I mumbled. "At least I've a science test."


	26. Ghost Story

That night, I had a strange dream. I dreamed of two people in a laboratory: a girl with messy, brown hair in a pigtail and a ripped black shirt with the words 'REVENGE'. And a man, though I couldn't see him- only his shadow.

"The plans are going well," the man boomed, his voice shaking the room like thunder. "She will come to 'destroy' the totems, believing them to be my plan to take over Poptropica- but she will not realize my true plans."

"But she'll know it's you!" the girl insisted, placing a hand in her ripped jeans. "She knows who you are!"

"Not if we trick her," the man replied. "We will trick her into believing our plans. She won't realize what the real plan is. Especially if we use her little friend today." Evil entered his tone. "Our plan today involves using her friend. She will believe that the real plan involves such thing, too. Now, are you ready to set up the taster?"

"Of course, m'lord." the girl said, bowing. She faced me; something about her felt familiar. However, before I could figure it out, the screen blacked out. I heard a woman's voice in the distance:

Be careful, Alice.

"This island's creeping me out already." I mumbled, as we arrived on Hemlock Harbor. There are creepy, wooden buildings standing, and mist covering the floor like a blanket. We spoke to a guy and received some salt (apparently it keeps away evil spirits), and headed over to a cemetery. I like this island, despite all the creepy ghosts and stuff. It proves Poptropicans aren't immortal. They're called 'mortal' for a reason.

Anyway, we headed over to the cemetery. I don't feel very comfortable around cemeteries, even before… certain events happened. The night sky was dawning upon us, and someone walked out of the cemetery: a tour guide. He offered us late-night tours (you couldn't pay me to go on one of those) and handed us a pamphlet. However, the Magistrate caught him. He raced off before he could get into trouble. The Magistrate sighed.

"There was a time when Hemlock Harbor was a peaceful village," he told us. "Before this flock of ghost-hunting imbeciles turned it into a cheap tourist destination." He sighed again. "If you have no business in these words, I suggest you find lodging for the night."

Though it's your fault the ghost hunters are here, I thought, as Fierce Fox and I turned around.

"Talk to that guy," I pointed at a guy standing near the cemetery gates. "He's looking for his uncle's grave. Credit me now, it took forever to memorize this- Lot C, Plot 84."

"Thanks, and good work." Fierce Fox said, as she spoke to the mopey nephew. In return, he handed her a room key, and she returned to me. We headed over to a 'haunted' hotel, which is an old-fashioned, cob-webbed filled hotel, with fancy wallpaper and rustic bookshelves. Just the kind of place I'd give five stars.

"I'm so glad a room became available to you," the owner of the hotel (who looks like Edna Mode) said. "Well, I'm off to meet my husband. We need to make preparations… for the night." She walked off.

"They're going to try and scare us." I explained.

"Why?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"Money," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Come on, let's go to our room." We climbed the creaky stairs and entered our little apartment. The good news was- oh wait, there was no good news. Well, except from the fact that the room has a bed. Apart from that, it's trash. There's a creepy portrait; ancient curtains; cobwebs; a rotting chair; a cupboard. Oh, and the worst part of all? There's only one bed.

I shivered. "Well… it looks like we have to… um, share the bed." Of course I've shared beds before. When I was little with my parents. But I hadn't actually been to a sleepover before (rude people never invited me), and besides, I'd never shared a bed with another person. I guess today was a bit of a change.

Fierce Fox sighed. She didn't feel awkward about it, surprisingly. "Whatever. Let's just hit the hay." So we climbed into bed, opposing each other, as the lights began to dim. We sat in awkward silence for a few moments. I could tell Fierce Fox wasn't asleep, because… well, I could just tell.

"So…" I decided to start up a conversation. "It comes to mind, but… do you think you have a family? Like, other than me. I didn't give birth to you- oh, that sounds so weird. We humans don't do that."

"Now that you mention it…" Fierce Fox took a deep breath. "I do have a family. All Poptropicans do." Her voice became a little solemn. "I just haven't seen them in a while. In fact, I've been so busy with adventuring I'd almost forgot about them. I'm not exactly the same Poptropican I was when I lived with them. I've changed. That's your fault."

"Oh… sorry." I replied sheepishly.

Fierce Fox waved it off. "It's alright. I like being an adventurer."

"Do you know where your family is now?" I asked, gazing at the mucky ceiling.

Fierce Fox shrugged. She seemed a bit uncomfortable. "I don't really remember. I think they live on Mocktropica Island. Like I said, I don't really remember. It's been too long." She gazed at me. "What about your family?"

"Well-" I started, but I was interrupted by a creak. The portrait began swaying by itself, and the chair moved across the floor with no one pushing it. I sighed, climbed out of bed, and opened the cupboard door. "Come on out, you two." The Edna Mode lookalike and her husband popped out of the cupboard. Fierce Fox raised an eyebrow.

"We're sorry for trying to fool you," the Edna Mode lookalike apologized. "We're just trying to give the people what they want- a good fright."

"Personally, 'a good fright' is not on my bucket list." I commented.

"We should report you to the Magistrate!" Fierce Fox added, folding her arms.

"No, please don't give our secret away!" the husband pleaded.

"If you want to see the woman in the window, just play her favourite song on the violin." the Edna Mode lookalike said. I nodded at Fierce Fox; we exited the room. We weren't coming back, which was a good thing, since I did not (and never will) like that haunted room.

Anyway, we went downstairs and found the woman in the window's violin. We exited the hotel and leaped up to the roof. Fierce Fox played the violin (since I have no musical talent), and it started glowing ghostly pale. Creepy. I used a pair of binoculars (which I got from a guy illegally hunting ghosts), and spied on an old, stone mansion. A woman, inside a small, circular window, waved at me. I got a few chills down my spine.

"Let's go see the woman in the window." I said. To do this, we broke into the old woman's house. It's not exactly a house I would at for a vacation. The inside's made of wood, and is full of creepy dolls; mannequins; sewing machines; long cloths; broken lampshades. There's a reason why I dislike this island: it's so creepy.

We climbed the broken staircase, and passed a picture of a loving couple. After that, we entered another room, which seems to be someone's old bedroom. The chandeliers are broken, and the pink wallpaper's torn. At the end of the room, there's a telescope. Fierce Fox headed over to it and peered through, searching for ghosts. Meanwhile, I gazed at the room lost in time, and thought about how once it was something beautiful.

"Are you looking for someone?" someone behind us asked. Fierce Fox jumped, and even I was a little freaked out. The lady chuckled. She had pale, wrinkly skin (not to be rude- she wasn't exactly young), a dark blue sun hat with flowers and a frilly, navy dress. This lady's name was- and I say was for a reason- Fiona. "I hope I didn't frighten you, dears."

"Are you a g-g-ghost?" Fierce Fox asked, her teeth chattering.

"Aren't you silly," Fiona replied gently. "I'm merely in town to take care of some unfinished business. If you're looking for spirits, I can help you get started." She gestured outside. "See Jane the baker and tell her Fiona sent you."

"Fiona sent us." Fierce Fox told Jane the baker, once we arrived at her adorable little bakery.

"Well, isn't that something?" Jane chuckled. "You must be serious about tracking our town's spirits. One moment, please." She walked over to a display cabinet and pressed a button. The cabinet disappeared and was replaced with a selection of ghost-stalking- uh, tracking- equipment. "I present you the ultimate in ghost-tracking gadgetry. Since you are a friend of Fiona, they are yours to keep."

Jane held up a hand as Fierce Fox reached out to grab them. "I'll warn you, though. Some are more effective than others, depending on the spirit." She explained what the contraptions could do, then let us take them, as well as some hot cross buns.

"Alright," I said, facing Fierce Fox. "Let's go be better Ghostbusters than the remake."

We started our ghost-stalking- uh, tracking- journey at my favourite place- the cemetery. I tried not to tremble like an idiot as we passed through. We eventually made it to a garden full of tombstones, which I really wanted to see (notice the sarcasm). The two of us climbed up a grassy hill and spotted a girl waiting at the top.

"The cloaked spirit should be here any second!" she cried. "We'd better hide."

"Cloaked spirit." I groaned. "Wonderful." We hid behind a large tombstone. Soon, we heard the gentle patter of footsteps. I rolled my eyes, knowing that the 'spirit' wasn't a spirit at all, but the Magistrate.

"Shh, I hear footsteps!" the girl whispered. "I really wish I'd brought my camera." Just as she said that, a dude wearing a thick, black, hooded cloak came out, clutching a rose. I stealthily snapped a picture using a camera we received from Jane.

"That's the Magistrate." I blurted out to Fierce Fox and the girl. Stupid smart mouth.

"It is?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised. "Let's confront him!"

"No!" I whisper-shouted, but Fierce Fox ignored me.

"I know who you are!" she yelled at the 'spirit'. He faced her for a second, before racing off into the fog. "Shoot! Lost him in the fog."

"That was the Magistrate?" the girl asked, raising her brow. "Doesn't seem like it to me!"

"Well, it is." I sighed. Fierce Fox had a scowl on her face.

"Let's go after him!" she insisted, making a fist.

An idea started to form in my head. "Good idea," I agreed. "But we need to get him out of hiding first."

"Sensational! This is front page stuff!" the editor at the Hemlock Herald (the newspaper place) cried. "Here's the $50 I promised. I suggest you find a safe place for it." And so, we received some money. Were we going to spend it? Of course not! We headed over to the bank, and stashed our money there. Also, we tracked a ghost underneath the bank vault, which happened to be an escapee from jail. After that, we headed outside, where the picture had made big news.

"I knew ghosts were real! And people thought I was crazy!" a tourist exclaimed, showing Fierce Fox and I the newspaper. The Magistrate arrived, with sweat on his face.

"This isn't any proof at all! I'm sure it's just another hoax." he announced, his voice wavering.

"He's probably right, guys," I agreed, with a gleam in my eyes. "Maybe we should all leave and hit the hay." The tourists and others shrugged at each other, then walked off, leaving us alone with the Magistrate. I started on him. "So, Henry Flatbottom, how's leaving roses for Fiona going?"

"How do you know about that?!" the Magistrate demanded.

"I know a few things," I answered, folding my arms. "I know your side of the story. I know you want the spirits to forgive you for what you did to Valiant. And they can." I felt my voice crack up. "But… you need to accept them first. You need to tell the truth, Henry."

The Magistrate was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Prophesied hero…"

"Great." I mumbled, while Fierce Fox's muscles tensed.

The Magistrate sighed. "I don't know how you know this. Maybe it's because you're the prophesied hero." I saw Fierce Fox glower at this. "But hero or not, you're right. It may not work, but I can try."

"True," I replied. I chewed my lip. I've tried enough and failed, you know it won't work, a voice in my head said. I ignored it, and stared at the Magistrate. "They probably will accept your forgiveness. They just want to live the afterlife in peace."

"Wait," Fierce Fox held up her hand. "I don't understand the story!"

"Let's go and see Fiona," I told Fierce Fox. I faced the Magistrate. "Go to her grave. We'll meet you there."

We returned to Fiona's house. The stairs creaked under our feet as we climbed them, making me shiver. We reached Fiona's bedroom. However, Fiona had vanished.

"Fiona?" I called out softly. Her bed, torn curtains and other objects were there, but there was no Fiona. I sighed. "I guess she must've gone back to the cemetery."

"The cemetery?" Fierce Fox questioned, staring at me.

"Wait," I noticed a note on the ground. Raising my eyebrow, I picked it up. "'Dear my friends,  
I've seen that you know the story. Glorious! Before you come to the cemetery, speak to the guard at the prison. He is in Cell 8, Block D. You'll understand why.  
-Fiona.'"

"The guard at the prison?" Fierce Fox asked. I bit my lip.

"You'll see."

A man, in exchange for our room key, let us use his boat. We sailed over to a desolate island, where there's a crumbling prison. The front part is covered in barbed, destroyed wires. The jail itself is made of grey, crumbling stone, and the door says 'Repent', with a dragon above it. Inside, there are ripped and rotten jail cells; cracked walls; a working elevator (I know, right?); ghosts. Just my kind of place.

Anyway, we climbed into the elevator (as if this place couldn't get any better) and headed into Block D. I cringed at the various jail cells, and the daunting aura surrounding them. We approached Cell 8, where there was a rocking wheel chair, a plate and a message. Suddenly, fear crawled over me like a spider. Something felt... off about it. I felt like we were being set up.

Our plan today involves using her friend. She will believe that the real plan involves such thing, too.

"Let's go in!" Fierce Fox said, entering the cell.

"No!" I shouted, holding out my hand. But too late. Fierce Fox picked up the message, her eyebrow raised.

"'Hey sucker'," she read. "'Hope you enjoy being trapped. Oh, don't pout. This is a sample of what's coming for you. In the meantime, have fun in that little cell.'" Just as she finished, the bars closed up, leaving her trapped. She banged her fists against the bars. "What the?!"

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, my neck prickling. "Push that bed!" Fierce Fox faced a ruined, distorted bed. She pressed her fists on the side, and shoved with all her strength.

"It… won't… budge!" she panted, sweat climbing down her cheeks.

"Whoever locked you in here- probably one of Zeus' minions- must know all the tricks," I sighed, shaking my head. "There'll be another way to get you out, I'm sure of it." I sounded collected on the outside, but inside, I was panicking like crazy. I wondered if heroes did such thing. Probably not.

What do I do? I thought. Come on Alice, you've got a brain, use it! Hmm… maybe I can confront the Warden? No, he won't listen to a mortal. Will he? How do you get people to listen to you? I felt my brain putting the pieces together. Intimidation! But how in the heck do you intimidate a ghost? Obviously death and pain threats won't work. There has to be something else… hmm… what could intimidate a ghost? Um…

Sometimes the answer can be found from you, Athena's voice in my head said. That makes... some sense, I thought. What intimidates me? Other than death threats. Those people at my school… people who have more power than me. But what has more power than ghosts? Someone who rules over them? Suddenly I grinned.

Bingo.

I stormed up to the Warden's office, which is lost and forgotten. The walls are torn, and dust covers everything. There are broken pictures, dead curtains and destroyed hanging lights. I brought out a serving of hot cross buns, which attracted a ghost swaying on a rocking chair.

The ghost- the Warden- gobbled up the hot cross buns, then faced me. I took a deep breath, and fiddled through my items again. It was like entering a whole new world (sorry everyone) in there. Eventually, I pulled out the right item, and let a gleam settle in my eye.

"Hello," I said, in the best fearsome tone I could produce. "My friend is stuck in one of your cells. Can you please let her go?"

"No," the Warden replied sternly. "No one can ever escape again."

"Last chance," I declared. "Please, let her go, and we'll go peacefully. I don't want to wear it..."

"No one will ever escape again!" the Warden shouted dramatically, his ghostly aura glowing. I sighed.

"Then maybe this will change your mind." I retorted, placing the item- Hades' crown- on my head. I felt the same power rush from Mythology Island (except not as strong), and immediately increased in height (which feels kind of weird). It probably would've been better if the actual Hades showed up, but I felt too nice to bother him. (Well, on the contrary, he might've been okay with it, since Ghost Story is all about death and stuff.)

"That isn't…" the Warden gasped, stepping back from my enlarged height. "Where…"

"Yes, it is," I replied, feeling oddly superior. "I got it from the actual guy. He gave it to me. Now, open the cell or I'll… uh... make your afterlife worse!"

Fierce Fox and I docked the mainland, and headed over to the cemetery. Fierce Fox thanked me for rescuing her, though her face was a little hard when she said this. She kept silent as we continued our journey to the cemetery. Soon, we arrived there, and returned to where we saw the 'cloaked spirit'. We met with the Magistrate, and found out the ghosts had forgiven him, including Fiona, which made me wonder who sent us that letter. Probably Zeus' servant.

"Thank you both for helping me." the Magistrate said, handing us the medallion.

"I still don't know the story." Fierce Fox remarked, folding her arms.

"Ask them!" I cried, as my screen faded white, ending another quest.


	27. Chapter 27

I sat down at a table in the cafeteria, grimacing at my crutch while placing my food down. My friend sat opposite me, a chicken sandwich on his plate. A pink wristband was around his wrist. It was decorated with My Little Pony characters. Yeah, he's a major brony.

"So, what'd you have next?" my friend asked, biting his chicken sandwich.

"English," I answered. I smiled; my eyes lit up. "Then Science! Looking forward to it. We're doing biology- can't wait!"

"Really?" Marcus (that's his name) asked. "What's so good about science? Seriously, all you do is talk about growth and physics and get homework."

I rolled my eyes. "And what about you and My Little Pony? If I had a dime for every time I've seen you watching it, I'd be at an expensive private school, in a fancy uniform, drinking high tea and saying, 'good day, dear sir'."

Marcus laughed. "You've got your Poptropica." He sighed. "Well, that's how we get on. Anyway, this is off-topic… but have you noticed Louisa hasn't been coming to school the last few days? She's in my English and Math class, so I see her often. But she hasn't been around for a bit, although her gang- or Chrissi's- has."

I felt my throat grow dry. It was true, Louisa had been strangely absent. For some reason, I thought of the brown-haired girl I saw in my dreams… was that her? I hoped not. But then again, Louisa had been acting off for a little while.

"Yeah, it's weird," I replied. "I guess she's sick or something."

"And, not only that, she was being really creepy, too," Marcus added. "Like, I saw her whispering with her friends and stuff, and not like you girls normally do; they looked pretty sinister. Do you think they're, y'know, doing… drugs?"

Drugs were bad, but they sounded oddly relieving compared to the brown-haired girl stuff. I mean, that was legit world-destroying. But how do I know that girl is even Louisa? She could just be someone who looks like Louisa. I mean, plenty of girls have brown hair…

"Maybe," I replied, feeling fear well up in my chest. "Maybe."

Immediately I felt a chill as Fierce Fox and myself landed on S.O.S. Island. We were standing on a slick iceberg. Ahead of us was a large, grey cruise ship, called the S.S Pequod (aka the Titanic's successor). It was a nice ship, apart from the fact it was sinking and people were trapped inside.

"Help!" a lady cried, running up to us. "The ship is sinking and people are trapped inside!" Now, normally, if I came across a situation like this, I'd call 911 then run for safety. But this is Poptropica. We're the 911 here.

"This big chunk of ice is blocking the entrance." Fierce Fox said, gesturing to a chunk of ice that was covering the ship's door. I pointed to a large ball of ice sitting on the ship's roof.

"Push that ball down, and it'll crush the ice." I instructed. Fierce Fox nodded and did just that. The ball indeed crushed the ice chunk, giving us a clear entrance. We entered the ship. There were fluorescent lights on the dark stairs, and water sloshed at my feet. Fierce Fox and I went through a door that said, 'Bridge'. In there, we passed various things, such as a mermaid statue and a boat model.

Fierce Fox and I climbed a ladder and came to a space full of fizzing wires. There was a computer there, and a bunch of wires and buttons. Also, the captain was standing there, trying to send out a message.

"Any survivors on board, please press your emergency call button!" he said. Fierce Fox and I approached him.

"You need to get off this ship!" Fierce Fox exclaimed.

"Don't you know the captain always goes down with the ship?" Captain Boomer (that's his name) asked, again acting like we'd been talking for ages. "Most of my passengers escaped, but some are still on board. Go and rescue them! I have turned on the emergency door controls." He pulled a dial. "There we go. They should be open."

"Thanks," I said. "Let's go and rescue them."

"So, what's the deal with this place?" Fierce Fox asked, walking past various rooms in the ship.

"Alright, basically, Captain Boomer- that's the guy we just spoke to- was chasing his 'mortal enemy'- the white whale, who's a legitimate white whale, and not a Poptropican enemy with a weird alias. Anyway, while he was doing that, he smashed the ship into an iceberg, and it started sinking." I explained. "However, he says that the whale sunk the ship by slamming into it, which it really didn't. He only said that 'cause the whale 'bested' him."

"Oh, okay," Fierce Fox replied. "And our job is to rescue everyone, right?"

"Precisely." I confirmed. We stopped in front of Room 6, which was the only room we could enter. We headed inside, and heard a cry.

"Help me whale! Help!" a boy wearing an 'I heart whales' hat cried. His name's Ishmael. He was trapped in a bunch of boxes, making him immobilized. Fierce Fox and I shoved the boxes off him, which saved him. He smiled, "Thanks for saving me! My leg was stuck under all that junk."

"What're you doing?" Fierce Fox asked Ishmael.

"I'm calling that friendly white whale to come save us." Ishmael answered.

"And you're right to do that," I said, with a smile. "But the whale won't come until later, Ishmael."

"How… how do you know my name?" Ishmael asked, his baggy eyes widening.

"Um… I just know things," I replied. "Anyway, we're getting out of here."

"Wait!" Ishmael cried. "I need to get my whale caller first!" He walked over to the back of the room, where there was a whale caller. He picked it up, and faced us. "And… how do you know the whale's coming? I'm not saying that's bad thing- it's the best thing ever- but how do you know? Are you psychic?"

"Like I said, I know things." I explained. Ishmael gasped.

"Wait… you're that hero or something, right?" he asked. Fierce Fox groaned, and I felt tempted to groan with her.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied grimly. "The hero, blah blah."

"Wow, so you've come to save us, and use your awesome… uh, hero powers to summon the white whale!" Ishmael cried. "Don't you have powers or something? I mean, rumors are going around that you bet some… what was it, a villain that wanted to take over Poptropica. Awesome!"

Ishmael was still talking when we got to the other survivors. Fierce Fox didn't look too happy.

"And I've heard you've bet tons of villains!" Ishmael squealed. "Like, the Chupacabra! Or was it called Cerberus? Anyway, there was this evil robot that was trying to take over humanity, and you bet him, too!"

"Um… yeah, great." I said. I wasn't trying to be modest- deep down, a little part of me was enjoying the praise. It just felt a little awkward. "Look, I had friends helping me out, like Fierce Fox. She's awesome."

"But she's not the prophesied hero." Ishmael said, which made Fierce Fox express a sour face.

"But she's still a hero," I sighed, feeling like Mom. "And as heroes, we need to save more people."

"Cool," Ishmael replied. "Just tell me when the whale comes!"

"All right." I said.

Unfortunately, the ship had taken on water, which was so wonderful for Fierce Fox and me (not). We re-entered the ship and headed to this room called the Ballroom, which was probably once a beautiful room, with glimmering chandeliers and glass windows. But it wasn't so fancy anymore. There was a lady named Starbuck (yes, like the cafe) stuck on a chandelier.

"Help! I can't swim!" she cried.

"This way," I ordered. Fierce Fox and I jumped down some wooden stairs, and slipped into some cool, blue water. I found a bottle of alcohol, and shook it so the pressure built up inside. I aimed it at the window (I was starting to get better at aiming again, I think), and let the cork fly off. It smashed the window; the glass broke and water rushed in. Starbuck leaped onto a floating raft, and with my instruction, Fierce Fox pushed her to the wall. I launched another cork with my bottle; more water filled the room.

Fierce Fox helped Starbuck out of the ship, me following. Starbuck complained about not winning her tour director's gold award or something, but thanked us anyway. We rushed off before she dragged on about me being the prophesied hero. To our absolute delight, the ship had turned on an angle, and was now nose-diving into the sea. However wonderful.

We returned to the ship, except this time, we had to climb up the mainframe. Lots of fun, let me tell you. I fell off a good few times. Even though this is Poptropica and I wouldn't die or anything, the adrenaline rush was still enough to give me a fright. Fear is wonderful. Even though I was way better at jumping than originally, the fear never completely left me. I mean, it couldn't. It's built for my world, where everything's much more dangerous. Bleh.

Anyway, we managed to enter the ship. We had to do a little more jumping (great), and reach an open vent. It led into the ballroom, which was turned on its side, covered in water. Jellyfish were bobbing around, electricity sparking around them. Bubbles swirled around my body as I swam upwards, passing a fallen whale statue. Fierce Fox was way ahead, already next to the chandelier.

We did some more climbing, blah blah, and reached this wall of pipes. Y'know the drill when you see puzzles in Poptropica- solve 'em! We got to the next room after that, which was also full of pipes. Except they were much larger and filled the entire room, instead of just being on the wall. They created platforms, which meant more jumping and climbing. Lucky me.

Eventually, we arrived at a wall of steam. A lady called Stubb was behind it. She was trying to fix the ship, although that was quite impossible. But she lived up to her name- she was stubborn (bad pun, I know). We needed to rescue her from the steam. She explained that she was going to turn a valve, which was going to unleash pressure in a pipe. We needed to get to the other valve before the pressure builds. The valves were situated in the room; Stubb had the green one.

I told Fierce Fox how to handle the green valve, while I explored the room and found the blue valve. I turned it, and saw water in the pipe. Immediately, adrenaline and fear took over. I had to get to that other valve. So I raced over pipes, water, and various walls, searching for the blue valve. I found it quickly, though I felt mentally exhausted afterwards. I told Fierce Fox to do the same thing with the yellow valve.

Soon, we were finished with the valves, and returned to Stubb. I was sick and tired of jumping already, but we had more coming up. Wonderful.

"Thank you so much!" Stubb exclaimed. "The steam's gone now, so I can fix the ship."

"Oh, uh, the Captain told me to come down here and tell you to leave." Fierce Fox replied, as if she'd rehearsed it.

"Well, if Captain Boomer says so…" Stubb said, the trick luring her in. "Let's get out of here!"

We returned to the survivor camp. Fierce Fox confessed her lie. Stubb wasn't too happy, but then realized we saved her life. So in thanks, she gave us her wrench. Meanwhile, surprise surprise, the ship sunk deeper into the sea, conveniently after we spoke to Stubb. Poptropican physics, everyone.

We got back to the ship by swimming through icy water. Then we jumped onto- you know what? I'm just going to fast-forward the jumping scenes to the point where we met our next passenger. Sorry not sorry, that stuff's boring to write about. Anyway, Fierce Fox and I swam through the ballroom again, which was not looking any better than before. Oh, and to get to the ballroom, we had to push a bunch of engines around, blah blah.

The point is, we arrived in the freezer room. And in the freezer room was our next passenger- the cook, aka Flask. There was just one minor issue- he was trapped in an ice cube. Fierce Fox and I had to push him out of the freezer area and take him to this place where there was a furnace. That ship had everything.

I raced ahead, while Fierce Fox shoved the Chefsicle across the platforms. I used various objects such as boxes to create a clear path for Fierce Fox and Flask, straight to the furnace.

"Mmphh!" Flask cried, his voice muffled.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine!" I called, in a strangely optimistic tone. It made me feel oddly sick.

"How much further?" Fierce Fox replied. "My arms are getting tired."

"You'll be alright," I assured her. More alright than me. "Just a little more." I heard Fierce Fox sigh, but she continued with her duty. Soon, Flask was next to the furnace, and the ice flowed off him like a river. He sighed in relief.

"Thank you!" he cried. "Now, let's get out of here!"

Y'know the drill; we returned to the iceberg, the sink sunk deeper into the water- or basically did a one-eighty and its bottom was facing upwards- Captain Boomer was in danger, blah blah. We headed back to the ship, staring at its flat, navy-blue underside. At least we didn't have to do anymore climbing. We simply had to go through a hole.

Inside, there was a maze of pipes, bubbles and machinery, all underwater. Fierce Fox and I swam gracefully- just kidding- frantically through the sea of discarded ship parts, me occasionally (correction: frequently) banging into something. Fierce Fox was ahead of me, though she had no idea where she was going. Since we couldn't speak underwater, I gestured with my hands at her to stay behind me.

We approached some deadly-looking fish ahead: slender bodies and sharp teeth. We swam through a tunnel of pipes (I got my leg tangled a few times, which did not give me good vibes), before we reached a clearer area. A fish aimed straight for me, and chomped me in the side. Poptropican physics did their work; I felt sharp pain, but unlike Earth pain, it vanished as quickly as it came. Typically, Fierce Fox avoided the snapping fish, while I crashed into more pipes. Sometimes I wondered why I was chosen to be the prophesied hero.

After getting bitten a gazillion times (well, mainly me), we made it to our favourite place- the ballroom. Our old friends the jellyfish were there, and they were more painful than ever. I almost drowned a few times, and Fierce Fox had to carry me, like the old times.

The really bad old times.

The next area (via the place where the emergency rooms were) was a winding, dark tunnel, full of octopi wearing metal hats, which conveniently had painful things on them like knives and forks. Don't ask.

Fierce Fox and I had to swim through that torture, and if I had a dime for every time I got stung, not only would I be at that private school; I'd be at the top of every class because I had the money to pay the teachers to put me there. However, in all seriousness, being hit by an octopus with a hat full of knives and forks is not pleasant.

The last area, naturally, wasn't any better than the others. This time, there were giant crabs, who absolutely loved to snap at poor Alice Manchester, but weren't able to catch the nimble Fierce Fox. We managed to get past those, and drop through a little section, which led us to Captain Boomer.

"There's no one left on board," Fierce Fox cried. "Come on!"

"I'm afraid we're too deep now," Captain Boomer replied sorrowfully. "We'd never make it to the surface."

"I wouldn't say that," I said, somehow suddenly able to hold my breath without breathing. "You see, your 'mortal enemy' is going to rescue us, with this." I held out the whale song gadget, and immediately thought of Ishmael. Whoops, forgot to tell him. Oh well. Maybe he'll be watching.

Captain Boomer started, "Maybe… but it wasn't his fault the ship sunk-"

"You sunk it," I finished. "When you were chasing after him, you hit an iceberg."

"How'd you know that?" Captain Boomer asked, raising his eyebrow. I shrugged.

"Let's just get out of here," I said, pulling out the wrench. Then, suddenly, I felt a spark of electricity at my arm. A wire! It stung my arm, causing me to drop the song gadget. Before I could stop it, it floated down, and landed with the fish. "No! Gah… why do I have to be so…" Clumsy, stupid. Why do you have to be so clumsy?

"Great," Fierce Fox groaned. "What now?"

"Wait a sec!" I cried, remembering my necklace. "I don't think I've actually used this properly before… but this seems like an emergency to me. We need help."

"What are you talking about?" Captain Boomer asked. I bit my lip.

"Long story." I touched my necklace, and screamed out telepathically, Uh, help, we're kinda dying here! I didn't hear a reply. How in the heck do I contact the gods?!

Then, suddenly, the white whale burst through the side, and opened his mouth. We all fell in, and for a moment, there was darkness. Then, I felt myself being launched out; my butt hit solid ice. The whale disappeared beneath the waves. I shook my head in awe.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Ishmael cried. "The whale did come after all!"

"Yeah," I mumbled, staring at my necklace. "It really did."


	28. Vampire's Curse

"My darling Katya is missing!" a woman cried, tears streaming out of her eyes. "Oh, she and her boyfriend are nowhere to be found."

Thunder boomed overhead, and rain drizzled down, clouds covering the sky in a dark haze. Old stone-brick buildings stand around, with hay roofs. Various farm animals are chewing hay. Fierce Fox leaned against a church.

"We're here to help," she assured Katya's mom. "We'll see if we can find your daughter." She nodded at me, and we set on our journey. We passed a couple of gothic kids, who are obsessed with vampires. Well, everyone's obsessed with vampires, due to the fact that two teenagers went missing, and a vampire lived on the island. Lucky us.

We came to a rocky area, that's full of rocky slopes and platforms, as well as caves and dead trees. A boy was leaning against a slope.

"He isn't going to help us," I grumbled. "Despite being Katya's boyfriend. Oh well. Let's talk to him anyway. Ask him if he's going to rescue her."

"Are you going to rescue her?" Fierce Fox asked Katya's boyfriend, with a raised brow.

"Are you kidding?" he exasperated. "There are plenty of other cute girls in the village. I'm going home!" Then he stormed off; I wiggled my eyebrows at Fierce Fox.

"What next?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

I gulped. "Um… we go up there." Fierce Fox detected the fear in my tone, but jumped off anyway. She landed on the first rock platform, and a terrifying, black wolf peered out of its cave, baring its teeth. I shut my eyes, while Fierce Fox shivered. When I reopened my eyes, Fierce Fox was knocked out, next to me. I shook her shoulders; her eyes whipped open. I led her over a cliff and a broken bridge, to a creepy, decaying tree.

I stood behind the tree, while Fierce Fox leaped into a dark opening within it.

"Now," I instructed. "Fling that branch onto Wolfy when it runs here." Fierce Fox nodded, and gripped the branch. Wolfy bolted straight towards it. BANG! It was out. I gave Fierce Fox a thumbs up, "Now, climb up to the top of the tree." Fierce Fox nodded, and did such thing. Wolfy came back for revenge, and knocked Fierce Fox out for a second time. She landed in a pile of stinging nettles, which I cringed at. On the positive, she received a log.

With my instruction, Fierce Fox climbed onto a rope bridge, and waited at one end. Wolfy came running, and she untied the bridge's rope. Wolfy went plummeting bye-bye, and Fierce Fox and I were free to go to Bram's Castle (aka the vampire's castle).

We came to the courtyard of Bram's Castle. To make us feel more welcome, there are tombstones out the front. Wonderful. I entered a creepy little house, which has a grave inside. I picked up a book which was a vampire romance novel, which isn't something I'd expect to find next to a grave. I also picked up a crowbar.

Fierce Fox and I passed a few more abandoned houses. Pipes were also lying around.

"I'll tell you the story while we fill up that little pool there," I said, picking up a pipe. "Okay, so Count Bram's in love with this girl called… what was it, I always get it confused. Right, Annabelle! Anyway, Count Bram got bit by a vampire or something, and got transformed into an immortal vampire. Unfortunately, his girlfriend wasn't immortal and died, though her spirit became part of a picture. Count Bram has been trying to get her back ever since. Now, lift up that pipe, and… there we go!" Water rushed through our pipes and into the pool. It filled up, so we could cross.

Thick, brown vines are twisted around Count Bram's ancient, black, fairy-tale like castle. Green candles are scattered around, and the narrow windows flicker green light. Fierce Fox and I talked while we shoved boulders onto fountains.

"So… what happened to Katya?" Fierce Fox asked, water spraying over her head.

"Count Bram kidnapped her," I explained. "Because he thinks she's his 'Annabelle'. She looks like her."

"Oh," Fierce Fox replied. A stream of water shot into the sky, leading to an open window. "So… how's your world going?"

"Um… good," I answered. "Nothing really exciting. Tests. Homework. Normal stuff. Well, my friend convinced me to watch the season one premiere of My Little Pony."

"What's My Little Pony?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. I chuckled.

"A show in my world," I answered. "Now, let's enter that castle."

We spent the next few minutes lighting up the interior of Bram's Castle. To do this, we started a hearth fire using that vampire romance novel and the log, and lit up some chandeliers. Soon, the room was bright enough for my eyes to adjust, so I gazed at it with wonder.

It looks really aged, like it's been around since the Middle Ages. The old stone walls are covered in smudges, and the gazillions of book shelves are covered in dust. The roof is aged too, patterned with swirly designs.

"Kinda creepy," Fierce Fox observed. "I like it." I laughed.

"Yes, it is," I said, nodding. "Now you get to see more of the castle." I picked up a glass eye and placed it in a tiger's head. Its mouth opened, and I received a key. I used the key on the armoury door; it swiftly opened.

I faced Fierce Fox. "Go in there and grab a crossbow. Then, put a cannonball into the cannon." I headed over to the hearth, and lit up a candle. "Ignite the cannon with this. Do it thrice." Fierce Fox accepted the candle, and set off to do what I ordered. Soon, a cannonball rolled out of the armoury room, landing near my feet. I rolled it along, sweat beads forming on my arm from the weight.

I grabbed a poker stick by the hearth, and gently pushed the cannonball into the flame. I waited a few moments, before the ball started glowing red. Reaching in with the poker stick, I pulled the hot ball out, and shoved it along the carpet. I stopped at a dumbwaiter and let the ball slide in. I nodded approvingly, then headed into the armoury room.

Everywhere around me are different pieces of armoury on black shelves and walls, such as helms, spears, clubs and so on. Fierce Fox was standing near the black and gold cannon. Above her head was a destroyed roof, which led into an uncanny room full of plants and a wall where you could shoot arrows. Fierce Fox shot arrows from the crossbow onto the wall, creating an arrow-ladder. The two of us climbed it, as well as grabbing a bucket. I had to race outside to fill the bucket with water.

Back inside, we came to a little, dark, moist room, full of… interesting plants. One pot plant was tipped over; the dirt was on the ground. Using the water I just grabbed, I watered the plant. Fierce Fox, using the crowbar, peeled boards off a window, giving the plant light. It immediately turned into a great, thick vine, and crawled out of the window and around the tower. Fierce Fox and I followed it.

It led into a dark room, which is full of tomato-based experiments. There's tomato juice bubbling in a flask. Containments of tomato juice are spilled onto the floor. Dusty shelves are full of strange liquids and bottles, and pipes are carrying steaming tomato juice. All in all, it's one of my favourite types of rooms: a laboratory. With wide eyes, I gazed around, walking towards Count Bram's desk. On there, I picked up his notebook.

"You wouldn't expect a vampire to have a laboratory." Fierce Fox chuckled.

"I can," I retorted. "Science is awesome. Who wouldn't have a laboratory?" I rolled my eyes. "Alright, he really has a laboratory here because he's trying to cure himself from his vampirism."

Fierce Fox grinned. "You like science a lot, don't you?"

I nodded vigorously. "It's only the best subject ever! I've always wanted to be a scientist… well, actually, not always, but after a few… changes, I decided to pursue that career. It's always about questioning and theories, and there's a pattern to everything. Not complicated stuff like life." I breathed in slowly. "Anyway. Stand under that green gas, and you'll… uh, get temporary flight. Fly up to that shelf and grab that garlic." Fierce Fox nodded, and stood under a pipe. Her head transformed into a tomato with fangs, complete with leafy 'ear-wings'.

While she got the garlic, I focused on the dumbwaiter. My hand gripped the lever; I pulled it down. The hot cannonball rolled out and went under a cauldron, heating it up and producing a plant- Wolfsbane. I grabbed it. Good, I thought. Fierce Fox dropped down; I nodded towards a door. We exited through that, and passed over a bridge section. We entered a new area, which has bright red wallpaper and is covered in dust. It feels a little murky, and most things have white cloths placed over them.

"Help!" a voice cried. It was Katya's voice. Fierce Fox and I leaped towards it, surrounding Katya in her golden cage.

"We're here to rescue you." Fierce Fox assured her.

"Unlike your cowardly boyfriend. Honestly, he walked off and said, 'there are plenty of other cute girls in the village'." I added. Katya frowned at that.

"... Thank goodness someone has come to rescue me!" she exclaimed, ignoring me for now. "But we won't get far unless Count Bram is first cured of his vampirism."

"We've got it covered," I replied. I bent my knees. "Let's go, Fierce Fox."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Katya asked. We quickly nodded. "Um… Alright then. Good luck, and make haste before Count Bram gets back!"

Part one of our 'Find the Vampire Serum and Save Katya' mission took place in the courtyard with the pool and gravestones. Fierce Fox, using the crossbow, fired arrows onto a wall and made a ladder. She nimbly climbed up the ladder and jumped onto a windowsill, where mandrake root grows. She picked some, and leaped back down.

Part two was creating the vampire serum. I placed all the ingredients under a microscope (trying not to be excited- letting a bit of my inner nerd out). With a syringe, I sucked up a little of every ingredient, and placed the new liquid onto a vampire cell. It turned into a normal cell. Wowie! Alice has conquered science in two universes! (And I'm not being sarcastic.)

Anyway, we made the vampire serum, and returned to the room with Katya. Now it was time for Part three- curing Count Bram. And freeing Katya, of course. That was the easy part. Simply, we had to go to a cell, which is full of weird objects. Then, using a cane, we picked up the key for Katya's cage. Volia! She was free. But our troubles weren't done yet. A bat's shadow flew near our heads.

"What was that?!" Fierce Fox shrieked.

"Batman!" I answered stupidly. I shrugged. "Just kidding. It's Count Bram."

"My dear Annabelle!" Count Bram cried. He had ghostly-white skin, with thick dimples. His eyes had red around them, and his sharp, black hair was styled like the Wolverine's. He was wearing a black cape underlined with red: traditional vampire clothing. "You shall not leave me again!"

"Still better than Edward Cullen..." I muttered.

"He thinks I'm his wife!" Katya cried, her black curls whooshing down her face. "We have to get out of here!" So we pulled a runner. We leaped up to a mosaic window and smashed through, landing outside on a platform in the center of the castle. Thunder and lightning clapped; I shivered. The syringe was on the ground, but Katya safely plucked it from harm.

"I've got the syringe!" she said. "Let's go!" She raced off, Fierce Fox keeping up with her. I was a little behind as usual, but at least I didn't fall off anything. Yet.

"My dear Annabelle!" Count Bram cried, suddenly appearing on that platform. "Why do you run?!"

"Darn!" Katya groaned. "Don't let him catch me! Keep up and use the garlic to keep him away from me!" I nodded at Fierce Fox. She let out the garlic, filling the air with the strong scent. It was enough to drive Count Bram (and almost me) away. Then we focused on following Katya. Fierce Fox and I kept a grip on each other, so no one fell off. It didn't feel as humiliating as before, though I felt a shiver of fear. Oh well. Then I stuffed up. Oops.

Katya was way ahead of us. Fierce Fox and I were still holding on, until I did a wrong turn. Then we fell down, and Count Bram was able to reach Katya.

"My sweet Annabelle!" he cried. "Give me a kiss!"

"Alice…" Fierce Fox grumbled. Suddenly, my brain lit up, and the cobwebs flew away (well, mostly).

"Give me the garlic!" I ordered. Fierce Fox shrugged, and handed me the garlic. I chucked it at Count Bram, and he screamed.

"Augh! I hate garlic!" he hissed. He wobbled away from Katya, near the edge. One little push, and he would fall off. But he was weakened, and we could easily hit him with the syringe.

"Shoot him now, Katya!" I cried. Then I faced Fierce Fox. "Now, lean over and prepare to catch him!"

"Let's hope this goes well…" Fierce Fox grumbled. She stood near the edge of the platform, and I joined her, to make sure it all went well. Katya aimed the syringe at Count Bram, and it landed in his flesh. He tumbled over, like most bad guys do in Disney movies. Fierce Fox and I caught him, and the screen mysteriously darkened.

We returned to the castle's library. Count Bram let out a waterfall of tears, then transformed to his human self- an old, wrinkled man with normal, pale skin and albino-white hair.

"At last the curse has been lifted," he sighed. He stared at Katya. "Young lady, forgive my troubled mind." He faced Fierce Fox and I. "And to you, dear strangers, I offer my thanks. Once again I am mortal and can join my darling Annabelle." He started glowing, and suddenly transformed into shimmering dust. He floated into the portrait above the fireplace, and was reunited with his 'darling' Annabelle. And then someone else joined the party.

"Katya, sweetheart, I've come back to save you!" it was Christopher, Katya's stinking boyfriend.

"Is that so?" Katya asked, narrowing her eyes. "Really, I heard that you walked away and said 'there are plenty of other cute girls in the village'."

"Uh…" Christopher gulped, sweat appearing on his forehead. "Well, I'm back now!"

"Honestly!" Katya tearfully scoffed. Then she blushed. "Nevermind. I forgive you." She launched herself onto Christopher, and they kissed. No more details required.

"Sheesh," Fierce Fox cringed. She stared at Count Bram's discarded clothes on the ground. "Hey, looks like the count left something behind." It was the medallion. She picked it up, and my screen turned black. Now, I knew that technically there still was the bonus quest, but then I didn't have membership, like S.O.S island. So, as I returned to my world, I promised myself I would buy membership for Twisted Thicket and other islands.


	29. Twisted Thicket

I was thinking about Poptropica membership when I limped down the stairs. Yes, we do have stairs, which is inconvenient for someone like me. But we'd had the house before the leg issue, so I can't say too much. I kept my arm balanced on the rail, and entered the living room. And I saw something horrible.

Mom was sitting on the floor, her face as pale as a ghost's. She looked really tired, like she'd been working all night. Around her shoulders was a towel, and a bowl of pumpkin soup was in her hands.

"Mom…?" I asked, my throat closing. Mom looked up at me; life returned to her eyes.

"Alice!" Mom exclaimed, leaping up and almost spilling her soup. "You're okay!"

"Um… of course I'm okay." I said, crinkling my nose.

"Where did you go?!" my mother shrieked, placing her tired hands on my shoulders and staring at me with her brown eyes- which are identical to mine.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling fear prickle my skin. "I've been here the entire time!"

"No you haven't!" Mom squeaked. "You… you left! During the night! I came into your room to get something, and you weren't there!" Her voice was changing pitch. She started fretting, like I do. "I was so worried! Why did you run away?! Where did you go!? I thought you could've been kidnapped, killed… the police are looking for you! I was terrified, Alice! What were you thinking?!" She inhaled roughly, like there were shards of glass in her throat. "I thought I lost you… just like Harold…"

"Mom…" I began. Suddenly I felt so stupid for not telling my mom earlier. I should've known she would react so dramatically- she's like that. Me too; I've inherited that trait from her. For a moment, even a smart-mouthed person like me didn't know what to say. Mom and I locked eyes for a moment, before Mom flopped back onto the couch, and let tears escape from her eyes. It wrenched my heart. Forget fighting villains and platform-jumping in Poptropica- seeing stuff like Mom crying is a real challenge.

I shook my head. "Mom... There's something I need to tell you. Something's happening to me." Mom sniffed again; I assumed she was listening. "It isn't… well… I don't know what word to use to describe it. But I will say it's challenging, and going to take a while to explain, so I think I might need to miss school." Mom sniffed again. I took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of a game called Poptropica?"

"Creatures from the forest have forced me to stop development on my new construction project," a lumberjack- or should I say lumberjerk- complained. "Please, journey into the woods and stop the threat!"

"Yeah," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "Come on, Fierce Fox." She shrugged and followed me, as I told the tale. "The developers are trying to build a new casino, but the forest creatures are stopping them. And the forest creatures are stopping them because if the development goes ahead, they'll die."

"Harsh," Fierce Fox commented. "What's our mission, then?"

"Vice-versa of what that loser said," I answered. "We help the forest."

Fierce Fox nodded. "Sounds interesting." We passed a fallen trunk, which has a strange, glowing blue mushroom in it. As if it was shy, it popped away when we were near, and re-appeared when we were gone. I shrugged. Then we entered the forest.

The forest is a dark, shadowy and misty place. Thick trees cover the sky, and at every turn there's trees and various other plants of many dark and twisted colours. Rare patches of sunlight creep through the tree craziness, and the floor is covered in soft vegetation. Magic fills the air, and made my skin tingle. I could've gazed at it for hours (there are some seriously beautiful things in Poptropica), but we needed to move on.

In a hollow tree, there was a glowing, acorn-shaped rune. Fierce Fox snatched it; in its place, gazillions of tiny, buzzing and glowing fairy-like creatures called dryads flew out. They surrounded Fierce Fox, and picked her up with ease. To avoid being left behind, I reached out for her leg and leaped up; we took off.

"Scare them off when they take you too high!" I ordered, as the dryads lifted us up. We worked together (the dryads included), and jumped over a section of platforms. I've never liked the dryads; they're so small and flittery. However, strangely, they didn't even notice me. They only seemed interested in Fierce Fox, and carried her. But me? To them, I didn't exist. At least we made it past.

The good news was area two is just as beautiful: long, hanging, green vines fall down from the trees. The dark, twisted roots sit in the background, covered in shadows. The bad news?

"Ack!" Fierce Fox shrieked, as an elf hit her off a vine. She landed on an outstretched branch with a frown. Gulping, I grabbed the first vine, but no elves came to knock me off. In fact, they all seemed to be avoiding me. Weird, I thought. I should be suspicious… but I kinda feel like they're not trying to kill me. Fierce Fox, on the other hand, was getting beat up quite a lot by the elves. I felt a little bad (and sympathetic) for her.

Finally, with Fierce Fox being athletic (and me not being attacked), we passed the elves, and collected another rune- the Kobold. Area three is on the tree tops, where light is visible and the area is mostly leaves forming a path. This time, our old friends the dryads had returned, and were forming dangerous patterns in order to sting us- well, Fierce Fox. They still ignored me.

"Why don't they attack you?" Fierce Fox grumbled, as she narrowly missed an attack from the dryads.

"I don't know!" I answered honestly. "Just… stay behind me." Fierce Fox sighed, but raced behind me. The dryads found it harder to attack Fierce Fox, though we still got stung a bit. However, Fierce Fox's expression couldn't be decreased, and it hurt way more than the dryad stings.

Area four is a large, rocky, cliff area. It's like Mount Everest from Time Tangled, except there's no snow, no ice-bridges, there are way more plants and roots, it's not 1953, and also, there are trolls throwing boulders at us. If I was given a choice, I'd pick Mount Everest. Getting boulders thrown at you isn't ideal.

I gripped Fierce Fox's arm and pulled her out the way of a boulder. It sailed past us. The troll was preparing another one. I pointed to a platform; we jumped onto it, me lagging slightly behind. I still hated platforms, it seemed. We raced across a rocky slope. I stared at the wall, which is covered in paintings, plants and a fence made of bones. My feet sunk into the moss, reaching the end. The troll was beneath us; his back was a platform, leading to the next level. So, with a few failed attempts, we used it and got to the next level.

We passed a cave full of riches and a human skull (trolls are rich and stupid- like most businessmen). We leaped to another elevated space, as a boulder rolled underneath. As soon as it did that, we jumped back down and raced across the rocky floor, passing more strange, glowing plants. At the end, we used the troll's back as a stair.

Level three's the rockiest one, with many grass-covered platforms and holes in the ground. The troll continued throwing massive boulders, which were getting harder to dodge. At one point, the troll launched me back; I yelped. Fierce Fox tightly gripped my arm, determination on her face. The good thing about Fierce Fox- as grumpy as she can be- is that she's a hero and will save others when required, even if she hates them. I would've died without her (even if that's hard in Poptropica). Mom was so glad to hear she was helping me.

In the end, the troll accidentally dropped the boulder on itself, and we used it as a platform. It led to a smooth, rocky surface, which has a massive, shiny tree on it. Oh, and the Jötunn Rune. The path continued to the creepiest part of the island: the Nøkken.

The Nøkken's area is daunting on its own. It's dark, with shadows covering everything. Large toadstools gleam with shining lights, and there are icky, sticking-up, curled vines. There's a thick, black tree, which is scary enough to appear in my nightmares. And of course, there's the Nøkken itself. It glared daggers at Fierce Fox, and turned invisible. Glowing, blood-red paw-prints surrounded us, aimed for Fierce Fox, not me.

"Come on," I urged my friend. We raced along the dark path, the Nøkken on our tails. I leaped into an open stump, which is full of translucent, glowing plants, like you see in the dark parts of the aquarium. Fierce Fox and I leaped into some… well, fascinating, glowing water, which is full of stinging nettles. The Nøkken chased us- sorry, I meant Fierce Fox- in the form of a tornado. Fierce Fox and I kept a grip on each other, dashing through the water.

Finally, we made it to the end, the Nøkken still chasing us. It suddenly appeared, and lunged for Fierce Fox. With as much force as I could produce, I shoved her out of the way. The Nøkken vanished again. Then, I grabbed the Näckrosor Rune, and we raced off.

Area five is a flat, but still bushy area. A crowd of elves began chasing after us, wielding spears and other dangerous weapons. As well as that, obstacles stood in our way, which we had to either duck or jump over. Being quick (well, not me), we managed to get ahead of the elves. A few of them were in swings above our heads, and shot spears at Fierce Fox. I made sure we kept a grip on each other, as we continued ducking and jumping.

"Ah!" I screamed, as I crashed into an obstacle. Fierce Fox faced me. "Just keep going! I'll be fine!"

Fierce Fox chewed her lip. "No… we're meant to work together. Remember?" She said that with an icy tone. I raised my brow; my friend groaned and grabbed my arm, pulling me up. The elves were right behind us, and adrenaline forced energy into my legs. We leaped and ducked. My vision turned into a blur as I let my actions take care of themselves, my brain sailing off to La La Land.

I finally returned to myself when we got the Dökkálfar Rune, and the elves plummeted to their deaths. Sorry, little guys. Fierce Fox and I leaped onto a flying fox (puns welcome), and we landed in an especially forested area. Trees are everywhere, of all different shades of green. Spiky vines are curled up in the background, and vines hang down from trees. Little crystal-blue flowers are growing on trees. And finally, there's another large tree, which has a door, covered by vines. Little holes are above the entrance, shaped like the runes we got.

In the order we received the runes, we placed them into the holes. The vines pulled apart, leading into a tunnel. I nodded at Fierce Fox, and we entered. Inside, it's a giant space. Thick roots make up the walls, and gigantic mushrooms are scattered on the floor. In the center of the room, above a throne, a pearl-coloured orb floated and glowed. Some of our old creature friends are hanging out, and there's one new one: the Elf Queen.

"Welcome, young humans," she greeted. "You are the first of your kind to journey so deep into these magical woods."

"Yes, and we aren't the only ones," I replied cautiously. "A group of humans who want to destroy this place followed us here- hide the orb from them!"

"Thank you for advising us," the queen told me. She nodded, and the orb floated into her hands. "I see you are the prophesied hero." Fierce Fox scowled.

"Um… yes." I agreed, scratching the back of my neck.

"You seem to have knowledge about our home," the queen noted. "And a special kind of heroism that other heroes lack. Perhaps you can save us." She gulped. "You see, humans are not the only threat. A bigger force- power I cannot recognize- has been active in our home, affecting our creatures. I do not know if you can stop it, but you must try. I fear they will cause major harm."

I got a bad feeling. "We'll try."

The Elf Queen ordered something in a language I didn't recognize, and the forest creatures surrounded her. With wide eyes, she faced us.

"The developers are coming," she cried. "You must stop them!"

"I don't think asking them politely will do the trick," I said, tapping my chin. "We need to stop them with force!"

"Use this," the queen handed Fierce Fox an amulet, which gave her powers of the creatures in the forest. She faced me. "You already have an amulet of power. Use it well."

"I hope I will." I murmured.

There was a group of construction vehicles: a bulldozer, a crane, and a truck. They were storming viciously towards the forest, like nothing mattered in the world. We were way behind them, as they took out everything.

"Right," I instructed. "Use your goblin speed- the green button on your amulet- to catch up to that crane. Then, use your troll strength- it's orange- to shove the wrecking ball onto the next truck." Fierce Fox nodded and dashed off with the speed of Speeding Spike. Meanwhile, I was helplessly behind, knowing that Fierce Fox would soon be confused. I grabbed my necklace in my palm, and prayed for help.

I was expecting to get some kind of cool power, a weapon, or even something to throw. Instead I got a piece of paper and a pen. A message was engraved on the pen's side: The pen is mightier than the sword.

"Great…" I mumbled, clenching my teeth. "How is this supposed to help me?" The pen didn't feel magical like Percy Jackson's pen. And the paper didn't look special either. I thought about all the trash movies I'd watched (as well as personal experience), and figured there was some special power behind the pen and paper, but I had to figure out what. My thoughts were distracted by one alarming thought: Fierce Fox! And then my brain went bingo!

I had to write a letter to her! I was about to question the science and logic, but then I realized this was Poptropica, blah blah, and I needed to just go with it. I scribbled down what Fierce Fox needed to do on my note. Then I wondered how I was going to send it.

Name receiver, a voice from the paper- yes, freak out- spoke smoothly in my head.

"Um… Fierce Fox." I answered sheepishly, feeling a bit weird. The paper started pulling away from my fingers, like a dog on a leash. I opened my fingers; it flew away like a bullet. I collapsed to the ground, partly confused, astonished, grateful, and, strangely, nostalgic. Don't ask why.

Fierce Fox apparently received the note, because she was able to stop the developers. They were pretty freaked out, and packed up their things and left. The forest creatures thanked us graciously- both of us. The Elf Queen pulled us aside.

"Well done, you two," she said. "We will never forget you. As a reward, Fierce Fox, you may keep the amulet."

"Thanks!" Fierce Fox replied cheerfully, staring at her amulet. "Yeah, it was all me…"

"And as for you, Alice," the Elf Queen turned to me. "You used your powers well." Her face darkened. "However, the powers of your amulet are the same of those who caused the disruptions in the forest."

My face paled. "I... I think I know who's behind this… you see, when we were coming here, the creatures weren't really attacking me, or even noticing me. Only my friend."

The Elf Queen raised her brow. "Are you aware of what magic this is?"

"It's foreign magic from another island," I explained. "Long story. But if you see anyone called Dr. Jupiter, or a man with a white beard, don't trust him. Or a girl with brown hair and a shirt that says 'revenge'."

"I see," the Elf Queen replied, the information sinking in. "Thank you… for your words. My only gift to you is the respect of our magic. Wherever you are, the respect of the forest will be with you. And perhaps… sometimes, it will reach out to help you."

"Um… thanks." I said, feeling a bit strange. To be honest, I felt like Dr. Harold's private jet was a better gift, but I kept my thoughts to myself. After all, I'd saved the forest. The feeling after a good deed was a prize itself. Maybe that was something Fierce Fox didn't realize. Maybe.

...

"Remember, Spark," the man let her sit on his lap. "People'll give you gifts. Great things, like money, gold, a new iPhone, whatever. But the greatest gift isn't something you can buy- it can only be earned." He stared into her eyes. "Respect."


	30. Poptropolis Games

"Dad…" she snuggled over the covers. "Mom says that being a hero is dangerous. She says I should be a scientist."

The man laughed, ruffling her hair. "Don't listen to what your mom says, spark. She's just worried 'bout you, that's all. I love her, but… she can be so anxious. She needs to take a chill pill sometimes." He sighed. "Don't let her or anyone stop you, spark. Follow your own ways."

"But what if I do fail?" she asked, fear prickling her voice.

"Okay, now you really sound like your mom," the man chuckled. "Sometimes things go wrong, spark, and we can't do anything about them. So we just carry on, and try again. Success isn't easy, y'know."

"Okay," she replied, with a small grin. "I understand, Dad."

Seraphim has always been the tribe I've liked most. Those majestic wings and that shining glory- it speaks to me. Fierce Fox was already part of that tribe, so I joined up, receiving a black and yellow striped jersey. Then the two of us got to gaze at the island.

It's like Mythology Island, Reality TV Island and Twisted Thicket have been mashed together. There are old, ruined temples with golden roofs, covered in algae and beautiful pink flowers. The pillars are cracked stone held together, and stone faces are submerged in the muddy ground. Grass is spread around, as well as various rocks and tree roots. Some plants are dripping water, as Poptropolis Games had just risen from the sea.

"Ah, our representative from Seraphim," a man- the host of the games- scolded Fierce Fox. "You're late!"

"What about me?" I asked, raising my brow.

"I'll get to you in a sec," the man replied. He stared at Fierce Fox. "Off you go. To the games."

"The games?" Fierce Fox asked. I winked and waved her off. She dashed off, still perplexed. The man, twirling his microphone in his fingers, turned to me.

"I'm afraid we already have a representative for Seraphim," he said. "So you can't play in the games. But you can stand in the crowd and be moral support!"

"Oh," I replied, chewing my lip. "Can I at least help my friend?"

"Sorry," the man answered, shaking his head. "Moral support only." I sighed and brushed a lock of blonde hair behind my ear, breathing in the fresh air. It really is fresh; like it's come straight from the sea (which it has, really).

The colosseum's splendid. Although it's in ruins, it's a sight for sore eyes. Plants grow over the crumbled mess, and a large torch is in the middle. Standing on the ruins are cheering poptropicans, who are going a little crazy. Grumpily, I waddled over and joined them, while briefly touching the white, algae-covered ruins. I eyed Fierce Fox a level below me, who was standing with a bunch of rivals. I sighed. Well, it was like I would do well in the Poptropolis games. My energy from 24 Carrot Island only surfaced when I felt truly determined, and I didn't feel that way right then.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" a voice said nearby me. I jumped. The voice's owner chuckled. "Calm down there, girl!" It belonged to a dark-skinned boy with dark brown hair and eyes. His hair's neatly styled, like Director D's, expect there's a bit more hair and curls. And it's real hair. He was wearing a green and black striped jersey, representing the tribe Flying Squid. "I'm Mighty Penguin. What's your name?"

"Uh… Alice," I answered, fingering my scarf. "Nice to meet you."

Mighty Penguin nodded. "Ditto." His eyes widened. "Your face looks… familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?"

I held back a groan. "Maybe."

Mighty Penguin shrugged. "Whatever. Lots of people look familiar." He shook his head. "Anyway, it sucks, doesn't it? I could've smashed the games, but no, all I got to do was sit on my butt and be stupid moral support." He sighed irritably. "Small Bubbles isn't a bad competitor, but she isn't the best. They should've picked me."

"Well, lucky they didn't pick me," I commented, with a grin. "I'm the worst competitor; my friend's way better. Though she can't do anything without my help."

Mighty Penguin raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

I chewed my lip. I sat down on the cracked marble, the sun shining through the blue sky. "It's a long story. Let's just say we have a connection."

"Err… alright then," Mighty Penguin said awkwardly. He perked up. "Hey, the first event's starting!"

"It is?" I asked, standing up. "Oh crap… which one?"

"Pole vault," Mighty Penguin answered. He rolled his eyes. "Great, Small Bubbles stinks at this one. Flying Squid is not gonna have a good start."

I flashed him a sympathetic glance, then leaped down to Fierce Fox. I quickly explained what to do; she nodded.

"You'll do great," I said. I pointed to where I was standing. "I'll cheer you on. See you!" I raced off, feeling Fierce Fox's eyes burn my back. Mighty Penguin was glaring down at Small Bubbles: tan-skinned, blonde-haired Poptropican.

"MOVE FASTER, SMALL BUBBLES!" he yelled, like a commander. He gave me a wave, before focusing on the Poptropican racing across the grass, holding a pole. She jumped into the air, however falling down and earning herself a foul. Mighty Penguin muttered a swear.

Then it was Fierce Fox's turn. I cheered her on as heartily as I could- naturally, she smashed it, and the crowd went wild. Mighty Penguin folded his arms. Fierce Fox earned first place, and poor Flying Squid came last.

"She did well." I attempted to compliment Mighty Penguin.

"Did not!" he grumbled. "Don't lie! Why couldn't I be the one?"

I patted his shoulder. "If I could do something, I would. But give Small Bubbles hope. This is only the first event."

I felt Mighty Penguin's arm relax. He beamed at me. "Yeah, you're right. I'm getting too worked up. I guess I live up to my name- Mighty Penguin, my big ego, my big expectations. I hate people doing things I'm much better at, and I get jealous of things I can't do… like flying."

"I guess all Poptropicans have their weaknesses," I agreed. "Fierce Fox can be cunning and… well, rash and brutal. But she's loyal. Don't forget your good qualities…"

"...because they can help you prevail." he said to her, with a grin.

Mighty Penguin nodded at me. "You're smart," he acknowledged.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm a clumsy coward. Thanks anyway." The crowd went wild again- it was time for the next event: archery. I clambered down to explain the event to Fierce Fox, while Mighty Penguin shouted at Small Bubbles. She didn't look too comfortable with that.

While archery took place, Mighty Penguin faced me. "So… what were you telling your friend?"

"Stuff to help her," I explained. My skin prickled. "Like I said, she needs me. And not just for this. She needs me for everything."

"Alright…" Mighty Penguin said, absorbing the info. "Like the voice?"

"Yeah," I replied, pursing my lips. "Just like the voice." Mighty Penguin went back to shouting at Small Bubbles, while I cheered Fierce Fox on. Again, she won. She is just too good.

"Lost again!" Mighty Penguin scoffed. "We're not going to win the games with her!"

I felt a stab of guilt. "Just… give her one more try. That was only the second event."

"Easy for you to say," Mighty Penguin said, glaring at me. "When your tribe's winning." He took a deep breath. "Alright, calm yourself, MP. No biggie." His expression turned friendly. I raised my brow. "Next up is diving. Awesome! Something water-related!" He faced Small Bubbles. I leaped down to Fierce Fox and explained what to do.

Mighty Penguin and I stood together again, watching our representatives compete. Unfortunately, Small Bubbles wasn't 'connected' with the water and lost again, much to Mighty Penguin's fury. I think you know what happened with Fierce Fox.

"This is terrible!" Mighty Penguin complained, clenching his fists. "I can't stand watching us lose like this anymore!" As soon as he said that, an idea bloomed in my head, like a flower.

"Then compete for her," I suggested, grinning. "Take her place."

"I tried to," Mighty Penguin retorted. "They wouldn't let me!"

"Get her to forfeit, then sign up," I answered. "Simple."

"Not so simple," Mighty Penguin said, shaking his head. "She can't just forfeit. She's locked in- she can't get out. And we're gonna lose."

Suddenly, the flower in my head bloomed even further. "What if you competed for her… but they wouldn't realize it was you?"

"What?" Mighty Penguin asked.

I smiled. "Come on, Mighty Penguin. We've got a trip to Home Island to make."

"Alice!" Amelia greeted Mighty Penguin and I as we landed on Home Island. "How are you this fine day?"

"Swell, you?" I replied. Amelia gave me a thumbs up and patted my shoulder.

"You're doing well with this hero buisness, Al," she said amiably. "If you need me, I'm here."

"Thanks…" I said, feeling mushy inside.

"'Hero business'?" Mighty Penguin asked, walking across the all-familiar island.

"Never mind that," I said nervously. I faced the salon and took a deep breath. "Alright. In here." But Mighty Penguin didn't move. His eyes were narrowed. He scanned my form.

"You're… you're the prophesied hero!" he gasped. "I knew your face was familiar!"

I pursued my lips. "Yes. That's me. But let's not dwell on that. The host didn't give us much time."

"Oh- alright." Mighty Penguin said, staring at me with awe. I shook my head and led him into the salon. I passed the clothing area, politely shooing away the worker. I took Mighty Penguin to the barber, pointing at the sea-green shower, which is covered with a white curtain.

"I can't believe you're helping me!" Mighty Penguin gaped. "You're not even in Flying Squid! Don't you want your own tribe to win?"

"My friend always wins everything," I answered, gesturing to the open shower. "I think it's time she lost for once. Now, let's give you a makeover, Small Bubbles."

I encouraged the real Small Bubbles to take a shopping spree on Night Watch Island, which she happily obliged to. Then I let her doppelgänger enter. Mighty Penguin- creepily- looked just like Small Bubbles, except for her eyelashes. One of the weird things on Poptropica is guys and ladies look exactly the same, apart from their eyelashes. But now, it played in our favour.

"You rock, hero-head," Mighty Penguin whispered, patting my shoulder. "I'll try and let Seraphim come in second place."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck competing against Fierce Fox- the athletic athlete's athletic athlete." I walked over to said person. She was raking a finger through her long, red hair. She peered up when she saw me.

"Where'd you go?" she asked suspiciously.

I chuckled. "Had to pick something up. Now, I'm gonna tell you how to do hurdles."

I have to admit, I thought sitting on the side would be boring- I had to do it every P.E lesson. It got really old. But Mighty Penguin and Fierce Fox were seriously neck and neck. I wasn't sure who to root for- they were both so good- alright, Fierce Fox was a little better, but Mighty Penguin had more of his heart in it. The members of Flying Squid and Seraphim were going nuts, like it was a football match.

It came down to the last event: shot put. Whoever won this round would be the overall winner of the Poptropolis Games. Then I remembered Fierce Fox had to win. And I realized that I'd made a stupid mistake: by letting someone as talented as Mighty Penguin in, I'd lowered my own chances of winning- and getting home. The worse news?

"Shot put's my best event!" Mighty Penguin said cheerfully to me. "Don't look so solemn, hero-head- you'll still come in second!"

"Have you… been enjoying the games?" I asked, digging my toes into the mud.

"Oh heck yeah!" Mighty Penguin answered with exuberance. "They've been fun as! And I wouldn't be in them if it weren't for you! Even if I have to dress like a girl."

I sighed heavily. "Mighty Penguin… I need to-"

"Begin!" the host shouted. Mighty Penguin winked and patted my shoulder.

"See ya after the event, Al," he said, with a grin. "When Flying Squids win!"

"Yeah," I said, sucking in my breath. "That."

I didn't watch the next event. My guilt wouldn't let me. It felt like I'd failed my tribe- and I hated failing. A little part of me felt good for Mighty Penguin, but I mostly felt guilt. Fierce Fox was going to hate me. My tribe was going to hate me. At least Mighty Penguin wouldn't hate me. And I was right.

"The winner is Flying Squids!" the announcer cried, Mighty Penguin cheering away, while Fierce Fox pouted. The Nightcrawlers' representative- who came in third- cried.

"Well, tops to my buddy Alice," Mighty Penguin cheered, holding up the medallion. "I wouldn't have been able to have done this without her." He pointed at me. I got stared at by everyone in the colosseum, which I don't want to experience again.

"It's the prophesied hero!" the Wildfire representative gasped.

"On this island," the Pathfinder representative agreed, raising her brow. "No way."

"Did you really save people from a sinking ship?" the Nanobots representative asked, with wide eyes.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." the Seraphim representative- aka Fierce Fox- snorted. She was giving me an icy glare- it felt like the octopi from S.O.S island were stinging me all over again.

"Join our tribe!" the Yellowjackets' representative cried. "We'll give you eternal glory!"

"No way!" the Black Flag's representative barked, glaring at the Yellowjackets' member. "Join ours! It's way better!"

"Whoa, guys, let's not fight here," Mighty Penguin urged, leaping up to me. He smiled, his currently blond hair flowing in the wind. "Flying Squid won the tournament. But we wouldn't have won without Alice's help." He placed the medallion over my neck; it shimmered gold in the sunlight. Then he addressed the crowd, "ALL HAIL FLYING SQUID!"

"Boo Flying Squid!" the Nightcrawlers' representative shouted. The others joined her. Mighty Penguin rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, we won, deal with it." he declared smugly. Suddenly, the ground rumbled, like there was an earthquake. I shivered.

"What's that?" the Wildfire representative asked, raising his brow.

"Is it an earthquake?" Fierce Fox asked, glancing at me. I shook my head.

"Is the island sinking back into the sea?" the Yellowjackets' representative asked.

"Is it something I ate?" the Nanobots' representative asked. It was none of those things. A man, who looks like he was originally a statue, walked in. His body is pale, stony, cracked, and covered in barnacles. A large helmet is on his head, covered in rust. He's obviously pretty heavy, since every step he took shook the entire island. We all stared at him in awe.

"Who dares to call themselves the champion of Poptropica?" he boomed, in a rusty voice.

"Well, um… me?" Mighty Penguin questioned, fiddling with his golden hair.

"Fraud!" the statue guy shouted. The Nightcrawlers' girl grinned. "I challenge you to the most ancient of contests: wrestling!"

Mighty Penguin clambered down and stood directly in front of the guy, arms folded. "I accept!" he declared. I gulped. The guy chuckled with laughter and grabbed Mighty Penguin's arm, dragging him off to wrestling. The rest of us came with, either to cheer Mighty Penguin on or boo him. I could tell the Nightcrawlers' girl was going to root for the statue guy.

I noticed Fierce Fox was giving me the death glare, like she did early on. But I knew I deserved it. I betrayed Seraphim to help Mighty Penguin, someone who I'd just met. I knew I'd have to make it up to Fierce Fox. If she would talk to me, that is. She looked like she wanted to beat me up like the statue guy. Speaking of the statue guy, I felt nagging concern for Mighty Penguin.

I realized it would be Fierce Fox wrestling if it wasn't for Mighty Penguin. I'd only known the boy for a day, but I already felt a warm, friendly feeling in his presence. He was a nice guy, and had given me a gift- the medallion. In return, I'd stripped away Fierce Fox's chances of winning for his. I'd helped him follow his dreams. Was that my heroism? Or was it just me being selfish? Was it selfish to help the enemy? I hated failing and losing, but that didn't mean I wanted the same people to win all the time. Is Fierce Fox really that nice to me, after all?

"Everyone will fail once in awhile," he explained. "If they never fail… well, they're just not human. That doesn't exist. If it did, I imagine our would be a lot cruller."

"Hey, bud," Mighty Penguin playfully hit my shoulder. "That loser's gone, thank goodness. And I won! Awesome, right?" He noticed my expression. "Whoa, you alright?"

"It's nothing," I sighed. "My friend is a little upset, that's all."

Mighty Penguin waved his hand. "Ah, don't worry 'bout her. I won, right? Coolio!"

"I was selfish," I grumbled, banging my head on the ancient temple. "I had no real motive for betraying Seraphim. Not that you're bad or anything, but… she probably hates me now." She's always hated you. Is it really that selfish?

"Hey," Mighty Penguin smiled sympathetically at me. "Your motive was you felt bad for me, and wanted to help me. I don't think you noticed the consequences until later on. So, no, you're not selfish. Besides, you helped your friend by... talking to her. Well, I should say friends now, 'cause of me."

I smiled back. "Thanks, Mighty Penguin. You should really go back to yourself. You look weird as a girl." Suddenly, I realized my medallion was glowing, and white was appearing on my screen. "Oh, I've got to go now! Duty calls."

"Wait!" Mighty Penguin grabbed my arm. "If you ever wanna contact me, I live on Time Tangled Island," He handed me a slip. "Address details on here."

"Thanks," I replied, running off as my screen dissolved into whiteness. In my world, I noticed I was still wearing my medallion, which was glowing like the sun, banging against my chest. It probably would've been worth a few good grand. I decided it was for my treasure box. And the other thing I got- the address:

12 Back to Future Avenue, Time Tangled Island 

I grinned, making a mental note to visit there sometime.


	31. Wimpy Boardwalk

Marcus and I sat on my bed in my bland bedroom. My bedroom isn't very exciting. It's mostly white, grey and black, because I don't feel like any other colours suit it.

"Been awhile since someone other than Mom's been in here." I said, grinning at my friend.

"Really? You don't have friends come over?" Marcus asked, raising his brow. "Thought that's what you girls are into."

"Maybe not all girls." I sighed, digging my nails into the duvet cover.

"So, why didn't you want to play Poptropica at lunch?" Marcus asked, staring at me. "Thought that's what… you were into."

"I dunno…" I said. I chewed my lip. "I like- no, love Poptropica… but I don't really feel comfortable playing it at school, apart from that time a little while ago." I really hoped Marcus would believe what I was going to tell him. Fear clogged up my throat.

"You alright?" Marcus asked, noticing my fear.

"Look… it's just about being judged," I answered shakily. "I don't know. I'm having some issues with a friend right now. Maybe that's making me anxious."

Marcus put a hand on my shoulder. "I used to care all the time, what they thought of me. But I knew I couldn't change myself, not even for them. So I stopped caring, and after a while, I felt free. You can do the same."

"Really?" I asked, feeling touched.

"Yeah!" Marcus laughed. "Do what you want. I don't know who this friend of yours is, but don't be afraid to express yourself to them." He shook his head. "Now, enough sappy talk. Let's do something… er, less sappy."

"Sure," I replied, staring him in the eyes. "But first I have something to show you." I brought out my treasure box, the patterns on top glowing in the sunlight. Carefully, I brought out all the items I received from Poptropica. Marcus raised his brow at them. "I've got a bit of a story to tell you. It's gonna sound really crazy, but you have to believe me."

Fierce Fox glared harshly at me as we sailed over the great Poptropican sea. I sucked in my breath, taking in the salty air.

"Look, I know you're upset," I began. "And I'm sorry. It wasn't right to betray our tribe like that… I was only helping a friend."

"You should've thought of that when you were helping your 'friend', prophesied hero." Fierce Fox growled through clenched teeth. I sighed and stared at the approaching island: Wimpy Boardwalk. Immediately I could see the cartoonish appearance. Remember Wimpy Wonderland? Wimpy Boardwalk looks like that, except coloured in. And it isn't snowing, either. In fact, it's sunny, and is set on a beach with a large carnival full of games.

"This game is rigged!" our old friend Greg exasperated, as we landed on the boardwalk. "And I'm already down to my last twenty dollars."

"Do not hold that up!" I advised, leaping in front of Greg before he could grab his money. "Put that back in your pocket. Now."

"Um… alright." the middle-schooler said apprehensively, stuffing the money back in his pocket. "Why?"

"The wind'll blow it away." I answered, eyeing teenangers at the end of the boardwalk.

"How do you know that?" Greg asked curiously.

"Logic," I answered, which was the first excuse that came to my head. "But if you want to win Himalayan Hurl, you'll need the lucky rabbit's foot."

"Trust me, I know that," Greg sighed. "But Rowley won't give it to me."

"Dad says I can't let anyone have it." Rowley said sadly, shaking his head.

I glanced at Fierce Fox, who was still not looking at me. I sighed, "Say, Rowley, wanna do a round of dodgems?"

The grouchy Fierce Fox, Rowley and I arrived at the front of the dodgems. They're in a purple tent-like area, of many different colours. I gulped, staring at the speeding vehicles. I felt a bit stupid for being afraid of the dodgem cars, since I could easily list one hundred (and counting) more dangerous and scary things I'd done. But hey, that's me.

Fierce Fox's eyes were narrowed, while Rowley stared brightly at the dodgem cars. I spread my arms and approached the ticket-seller. He let us on, so on we went. I climbed into a purple dodgem car, eyeing Rowley's red car. Fierce Fox climbed into a green car, glaring at me. Then the round begun.

I chased Rowley around, hitting him in the side with my car. It didn't really help my frantic nerves especially when I skidded around the corner. Fierce Fox also hit me a few times, because she's a nice person like that. But I knew my main objective was to hit Rowley, so I could get the rabbit's foot. Though, truthfully, I had changed the plot of the whole island. I didn't know what was going to happen next, or when we were going to get the medallion. Or when Fierce Fox would stop hitting me.

Eventually, the rabbit's foot flew out of Rowley's car. I drove over and picked it up, cheering internally. Then I exited the dodgem cars, with a grumpy Fierce Fox following me. I sighed. I didn't feel guilty anymore. I just felt angry and fed up, honestly.

I handed the lucky rabbit's foot to Greg. He thanked me and played a game of Himalayan Hurl. He won; a victorious grin spread on his face.

"I finally won!" Greg cried. "Thanks. Can't believe you managed to get Rowley's rabbit foot off him. Now, I'm off to play Thunder Volt." He left, leaving Fierce Fox and I alone.

"What now?" Fierce Fox asked gruffly, her tone piercing.

"Not sure, honestly," I replied. "I think we help Greg... again."

"Good," Fierce Fox grumbled. "Then hopefully we'll be done."

I folded my arms. "Fierce Fox… please. You can't be grumpy forever."

"You betrayed me," Fierce Fox growled, her face dark, even in the sunshine. "You're my voice. You're supposed to help me!"

"I won't say I regret doing it," I said, tugging at my white shirt. My feelings were building up. "But it was a mistake. Again, I'm sorry. I… I won't do that again. Now please… let's forget about it."

"We can't just forget about it!" Fierce Fox shouted. I stepped back, nearing the blimp. "All this hero stuff… gah, why do I have to work with you? I'm supposed to be the hero! Not you!"

"What…?" I breathed. Fierce Fox bared her teeth.

"I'm supposed to save all the islands!" she ranted. "But no! You took that away from me! I thought I was used to you, I thought my future self was right, but no, THEY'RE ALL WRONG!"

"You're… Jealous?" I questioned, silently gasping. Thoughts flew through my head.

"I don't need you!" Fierce Fox roared. "Poptropicans are supposed to work on their own!"

"I'm your voice." I insisted, my feelings now really mixed.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE!" Fierce Fox screamed, revealing her feelings. "ALL ANYONE CARES ABOUT IS YOU! WHY CAN'T I HAVE SOME LIMELIGHT FOR ONCE, RATHER THAN JUST BEING THE SIDEKICK OF THE PROPHESIED HERO?!"

I felt shocked, and surprisingly, angry. "Do you think I asked for this hero crap? No. Truthfully, I don't hate it, but it's scaring me. I don't understand it. I don't understand you, either." I held back a sob. "But I do understand you never liked me… and maybe, I never liked you, either." The truth hit me. "Maybe we're not friends. Maybe we're partners. Partners forced to work together."

Fierce Fox glared. The area around me suddenly felt a lot darker and more depressing, despite the sunshine.

"Yeah," Fierce Fox agreed bitterly. "You're right. Perhaps you're only with me so you can go back home. Or so you can use me in this whole hero business."

"Why're you so rude?" I demanded, rolling up my sleeves. "The first time I came here, I was upset and ashamed. Now I'm just angry. Why are you rude? Why do you hate me? And what made you… for a little while, tolerate my presence? And don't answer with the hero business. I mean before that."

Fierce Fox glowered. "Growing up on Mocktropica Island might've contributed. It's… a weird environment. You never know what the next problem will be. My next problem was you. I'll admit... maybe I'm a little selfish. But I didn't want a wing-man. I wanted to work on my own... although I felt I was connected to you somehow. Still, I didn't want you around, so I tried to push you out. That didn't work. With some convincing from my future self, and some thinking, I decided to give you a chance, especially since you claimed to be my voice. And… I felt it was going okay. I still had the limelight.

"But then that hero business started. Everyone started treating you like the hero, as if you were more important. Better. And you started befriending all these people and becoming really popular. Foxes are selfish and cunning, y'know. I didn't wanna share my fame. So I thought 'bout splitting up with you… again. I felt it really strongly back on Reality TV Island. I'm not sure what happened there. Maybe that was it. Anyway, I was getting more and more annoyed, and the last straw was when you helped Flying Squid. You were abandoning me. You were taking my fame. You were taking everything I had."

My eyes widened. "So… you're saying… I took everything from you."

Fierce Fox nodded. "Yes." she said, simply.

"So, as a hero, that's your fatal flaw…" I gasped. "The fear of loss... The fear of not being recognized. T... that's why you saved me! You didn't want to lose me. At least... you didn't want me dead."

"Well done, know-it-all," Fierce Fox sighed. "You cracked the code. After all these islands."

I bowed my head, not really sure what to feel. I like to be honest- there's nothing to hide. But sometimes I lie, only for protection. Occasionally I can be too honest- thanks, smart mouth. Mom always said I have a strong mind, and it comes into play with my words and actions all the time. Which includes when it gets hurt by something tragic, like the car accident. Once that happened, my mind shut down on me, and I didn't stop others from bullying me. If that hadn't happened, I might've stuck up for myself. Truthfully... I was confused about why they bullied me. Why? It can't be just my leg, can it?

"Look… I'm confused as well," I sighed. "Maybe it's puberty. I don't know. But truthfully… I think I get you better. But maybe you don't get me." I stared at the sky, words finally coming to life after a long time. "I used to be more confident when I was younger. I wasn't afraid to speak my mind, and my parents were very encouraging. Then, when I was eight or nine, my dad and I were victims of… a car crash." I gulped, tears burning at my eyes. "Dad died, as well as this woman in the other car. I got a really bad leg injury. I had to stay in hospital for a while. But I survived. Mom was really happy. As soon as I got back to school, people started bullying me. I… think they were talking about Dad… but I don't remember. Then they targeted my leg issue."

"Oh…" Fierce Fox shook her head. "Sorry to hear 'bout that." She chewed her lip. "Well, at least you had a good family. Mine are as good as dead to me."

"Oh, really?" I asked. "I thought you said you don't really remember them, and you changed 'cause of me."

"Well, I didn't tell you the whole truth," Fierce Fox grumbled. "Let's just say my family's a little… money obsessed. When we go to Mocktropica Island, maybe I'll tell you more. But we aren't meeting anybody."

"Oh…" I replied. "That's alright, then." I breathed deeply. "Man, we're making this island so much more angsty than it's supposed to be. Y'know the whole point of this island is to get Greg's stupid twenty dollars back?"

Fierce Fox chuckled, an amused look appearing on her face. "Really?"

"Thank goodness I stopped that," I laughed. "Or else we would've been busy doing favours like rubbing sunscreen on an old man's back or catching crabs with fish sticks."

"Wow, this island's really dangerous." Fierce Fox commented sarcastically.

"Very," I agreed. "Speaking of Greg, we'd better go and see what he's up to." I turned to walk away, when a hand snagged my shoulder.

"Hey," Fierce Fox said calmly. "Sorry. For everything."

I grinned. "It's alright." I still felt a bit of a stir in my stomach, like the problem wasn't totally resolved. Or is there another problem? We still had a little way to go. But we were getting better. Maybe Lunar Colony and Super Villain Island would help out. Wait. I gulped. Super Villain Island! Uh oh. That was the official return of Zeus and various other villains. I had a bad feeling about it. What's gonna happen then? Will I die? Will someone else die?

"You alright?" Fierce Fox waved her hand in front of my face.

"Yeah, just thinking about the future," I answered. "About… y'know, the hero stuff. I'm taking an educated guess here, but I think Zeus and his new girlfriend either want to kill me or use me."

"Girlfriend?" Fierce Fox asked. I chewed my lip.

"I'm having dreams about… stuff," I answered shakily. "Now come on. We have some games to play."

THIRD PERSON

"My lord," the girl observed a screen, which showed two girls playing Thundervolt. "Their friendship is growing."

"That will not change their weaknesses," the man replied. "In fact, it may strengthen them. Once 'the prophesied hero' plays into our hands, we will eliminate her, you will become the hero, and I will finally rule all of Poptropica!" They watched as Greg Heffley handed the girls the medallion, sending Alice back to her world. Zeus grinned darkly. "And my brothers can do nothing about it."


	32. Lunar Colony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not including the bonus quest 'cause it's boring :P

...

The woman, grinning, held out a camera and pointed it at the girl. "Happy Birthday, Al! Smile!" The girl did not smile. The woman raised her brow. "Come on Alice, it's your birthday! Ten years old! Double digits! Isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah," the girl sighed. "Growing up. Stress. Very exciting."

"Don't be so negative!" the woman laughed nervously. "You'll be fine. Everyone's been- or will be- like this."

"Fine," the girl grumbled. "Yeah, things are gonna go great. Probably gonna flunk everything." She sighed unhappily. "Why was I thinking about being a hero? You were right, Mom. Being a hero is stupid. It's for dreamers. I wanna be a scientist, Mom. I wanna see the real world."

Alice's mother sighed. "A-alright, Sweetie. If you say so."

ALICE

Fierce Fox and I ran over the concrete road, arriving at the grey, tin building that is Mission Control.

"We get to go to space again," I said. "Like in Astro Knights Island. Except we don't have to fight any aliens and cyborgs or save any princesses. But we do have to save someone, though. This lady named Salerno." I sighed. "But we won't catch her anyway. She'll go off to find an extraterrestrial species."

"Should we tell them that?" Fierce Fox asked, shrugging. She seemed more friendly, more approachable. "Like how you told Greg about his twenty bucks in Wimpy Boardwalk."

"I'm afraid the problem's a little more complicated than retrieving some teen's twenty bucks," I replied, shaking my head. "Let's go into Mission Control."

I'm into science, but not so much space. Still, seeing a control room was pretty cool. There are papers scattered on the floor, and large computers everywhere. Screens cover the walls, showing scales, the weather, a diagram of the rocket ship, and an ill pilot on said rocket ship. Despite the relaxed appearance, the Space Program had no money, and the two crew members were doing the work of fifty people.

"Yeah, we need to save this dump." I whispered to Fierce Fox.

"Why isn't anyone keeping an eye on Hatcher?" a voice grumbled. It belonged to the director, who stormed into the chaotic mess with a frown. "He looks like he's about to lose his lunch!"

"Uh… we'll take care of that." I said, winking at Fierce Fox.

"And who are you?" the director asked, staring suspiciously at us. His eyes flickered over me. "Hey, your face is familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?"

"Maybe," I answered briefly. "Anyway… we'll deal with Hatcher." Fierce Fox and I left before anymore questions could be asked. I sighed. "Man, this whole hero thing is confusing me and giving me a headache. I don't think I want to talk about it now."

"Me neither," Fierce Fox replied. She chewed her lip. "I think you know why."

"Yeah," I mused. "I think I do."

Hatcher looked quite green when we saw him in the ship. I handed him a bottle of ginger ale we 'borrowed' from an old astronaut. After swallowing it, Hatcher burped. His skin returned to a tan colour.

"You guys are lifesavers," he thanked us. "I've never been in space before. I guess I am a little nervous." He sighed. "Could you girls do me a favour? I think I, uh, left my wallet in my car." He handed us his space helmet and exited the small, triangular space that is the cockpit of the ship. The door shut behind him.

"Hey!" Fierce Fox yelled. I gestured to a buzzing headset. She sighed and put it on. Her face became inquisitive as she listened to the headset. Then it became horrified.

"Me?!" she screamed. "I don't know how to- what? Oh no, I don't think the prophesied hero will be able to either." I groaned at that.

"Come," I sighed. "Let's sit down." We sat on leather seats. I sat on the passenger seat, while Fierce Fox sat on the driver's seat. Thank goodness, since I couldn't drive, even in Poptropica. I stared at Fierce Fox. "Just follow their instructions. If they're not direct enough, I'm here." She nodded and tuned into her headpiece. Meanwhile, I tried to relax. But my brain and nerves were too active, and they wouldn't settle down. The rumbling ship didn't really help with that. So I used reverse psychology and thought about the stressful hero business.

What do I know about this hero business? I thought. Well, I know that it involves a prophecy- me, saving Poptropica... right? I don't know. I guess Zeus will try to stop me or something, causing Poptropica's downfall. He and his new girlfriend. But who is she, and what is she doing? I think it's Louisa. But if it is her, how'd she get here? How did she get in contact with Zeus? I didn't know anything. Since the next island was Super Villain Island- Zeus' official return- I hoped I'd find some answers.

"Cripes!" Fierce Fox shouted, zapping me out of my thoughts. I realized we were in space, and golly, is it beautiful. The sky's ink-black, full of twinkling diamonds known as stars. Colourful, rotating spheres float around- planets can be quite spectacular when their inhabitants aren't trying to kill you. I was admiring a spinning galaxy when an asteroid flew past my peripheral.

"Asteroids!" the director's voice called out in the ship. "Don't let them destroy the ship!"

I faced Fierce Fox. "Dodge the asteroids. That's all you've gotta do." She nodded and gripped the steering lever. With her fabulous piloting skills (I bet Amelia would've been proud), she avoided the large asteroids. I was extremely helpful and stared out the window. I gazed at Poptropica, which looks annoyingly yet comfortingly similar to Earth. It's like a piece of home… a piece of home I didn't need to see.

"Don't pat your backs yet, ladies," the director said sternly. "That first asteroid damaged your fuel tank. Grab your toolkit and patch it up." So, with that, we were sent outside. Somehow we were wearing spacesuits, despite not putting any on. Our suits were connected to the ship via a long, grey hose.

"I'll get the toolkit," I told Fierce Fox. I swam through the cool air. It felt like swimming without the water. I quickly glanced down at Earth below us, before reaching the toolkit. Once I got it, I passed it to Fierce Fox, explaining what to do. She swam below the ship and patched it up. When she was finished, we went back inside. The good news was the crew was putting on autopilot (only now, guys?) so we didn't have to drive anymore. The bad news was it was going to take a few hours, and we'd have to do something hard once we arrived at the moon.

To pass the time, Fierce Fox and I discussed serious things like the prophecy. Just kidding! We talked about silly things to keep our minds off the future. Like our favourite islands (Fierce Fox said hers was Super Villain Island, because it was dangerous), and I told her my favourite was Mythology, though ironically I was a big supporter of science. And then I told her about how Marcus reacted when I told him about entering Poptropica. He was kinda surprised, obviously didn't believe it at first, then he was intrigued. But he understood, and that was all that mattered.

Finally, we arrived at the moon. We had to take the lunar lander down. And let's just say I am not good at the lunar lander. Fierce Fox was- unsurprisingly- so we landed easily. We climbed off the lunar lander and set foot on the grey, stony moon.

"One small step for man," I quoted. "One giant leap for mankind." Fierce Fox rolled her eyes at me. I shrugged and pointed to the PASE Moon center. We entered through a heavy door and passed an airlock. The inside of the building is white and clean. Circuity lines the walls. Fierce Fox and I entered a room called the barracks. Admittedly, I didn't know what barracks were, so I had to look them up.

The barracks is this room about three levels. One level has bunk beds. The others have information and research. In an army situation, it's basically an accommodation for soldiers. Though this wasn't a war, it's similar in design. Fierce Fox and I climbed a ladder and came to a computer. Using some pro hacking skills, we managed to open the vehicle bay doors. Then we headed to the vehicle bay. It's basically a giant laboratory, stuffed full of… well, vehicles, and batteries that'd make my world jealous. Well, sort of.

I admired the sleek, grey walls; trunks of items; various machines. There are also quite a lot of platforms and solar panels. Fierce Fox and I worked together to move the solar panels into the correct position so the sun would come down and splash on them. The energy would move over to the rover and charge it up.

Once that was finished, we climbed aboard. I sat next to Fierce Fox, admiring the cool little rover we got to drive around.

"Alright," I began. "I know where Salerno is, but because of physics and stuff, we still need to get the tracker."

"I'll get that," Fierce Fox offered. "I… need to make it up to you for yelling at you on Wimpy Boardwalk…"

"But… what about the splitting up business?" I asked. I tapped my chin. "Well, it's not like there's gonna be many enemies here. Okay, then. We can split up." I beamed. "Oh, and thanks for the offer. You don't need to."

"Nah, I want to," Fierce Fox replied, smiling. "Just tell me what to do."

I arrived at the greenhouse. It's a semi-sphere-shaped building, covered in glass windows. Inside, plants are growing everywhere, and there are piles of food and objects lying around. Oh, and there's no gravity. Vents shove out hot steam, which I needed to cover up with corks. So, carrying a cork under my arm, I flew up to the first vent and blocked it with the cork. I repeated this with the other corks (kinda boring, but not as boring as the bonus quest), and finally, I could go to the top.

I waited for Fierce Fox to arrive. She soon did. I noticed her irises were purple. This was because she needed to enter somewhere later on. I gave her a nod and led her past the corked vents to a section at the top. It's full of suitcases. Salerno was hiding behind a collection of such suitcases, wearing a blue spacesuit.

"Come out Salerno," Fierce Fox ordered. "We've come to take you home."

Salerno swam out, appearing a little dazed. But the energy in her eyes was like fire. "I can't go yet. Not when I'm so close to finding the last alien structure!"

"How can you be sure they were built by aliens?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. Good point.

"Carbon dating showed the artifacts to be older than the moon itself!" Salerno cried. "They were 'placed' here!"

"There must be another explanation." I said, speaking up. I mean, I am the science whiz here.

"They're radioactive," Salerno replied. "If only I had the Geiger counter, I would have found the last one by now."

"I really think you should come with us." Fierce Fox insisted.

"Never!" Salerno cried. She smashed the airlock open and flew out the window. However, she dropped her keycard. We couldn't grab that, since we were busy trying to avoid being chucked out the airlock. Finally, it closed, and things stopped flying around.

"She got away!" Fierce Fox grumbled. I slid along the smooth floor and picked up the keycard.

"Oh, we'll see her again," I replied. "Very soon." I struck a pose. "To the Foxes at Manchester mobile!" Fierce Fox groaned at that name, while I chuckled. We raced out of the greenhouse and climbed into said vehicle. Fierce Fox flipped around her lighting staff and pointed it at Salerno, who was driving away in her own rover. Fierce Fox stepped on the accelerator, and we chased after Salerno. We drove for a little bit, before pulling over at another building.

Fierce Fox used her purple eyes to get us in, while I used the keycard. We were faced with a bunch of conveyor belts. Using levers to change their position, we passed them. Well, we had to use them quite a lot, since there were many platforms we needed to get onto. After that, we exited the crystal-white, technology-filled room, and entered another laboratory. (There are three labs, I think. PASE knows what's up)

I ignored my urges to admire the awesome lab and instead focused on retrieving the Geiger counter. Fierce Fox pushed a pole onto a platform, so it created a slide. I leaped up that slide, then shoved the Geiger counter down it. It landed on the rover, which the director had kindly signaled for us.

"Finally, we've got the edge!" the director exclaimed. "Maybe you can find the fourth artifact and draw her out of hiding." I nodded. Fierce Fox and I climbed onto the rover. Using the Geiger counter, we drove south to a strange purple stone, which was embedded deep in rock. I placed the rover's hook over it. Fierce Fox drove it out. The stone was raised, letting out a shining, purple light, like a beacon.

"What is that thing?" Fierce Fox asked.

"You'll see," I answered. "Come on."

We followed the purple beacon. It led us to a place where it crossed over with a red beacon. Fierce Fox pulled over. We stood under where the beacons crossed. A pile of moon-dirt was under our feet.

"Well, this is where they cross," Fierce Fox mused. "What now?" Then Salerno ran over, carrying a shovel.

"You two did it!" Salerno cried. Her face became a frown. "You're not still going to take me home, are you?"

"Well, as long as we're here…" Fierce Fox answered, me nodding. Salerno grinned and began digging. Suddenly, the ground shook. We looked around in panic. Fierce Fox cried, "What was that?!" Then, the ground opened beneath us. We dropped into glowing, purple light.

When my eyes opened again, I spotted a bronze, circular, open door, with weird alien designs. Fierce Fox, Salerno and I passed the door, then came to a section of pictures on strange, purple walls. They showed drawings of dinosaurs and spaceships coming to alien planets, which was quite odd.

"Look at the picture," Salerno breathed. "They've been waiting for us." We continued, arriving at a wall full of alien symbols, that looked like hieroglyphs (and would also appear on Mission Atlantis). Salerno sighed, "I don't know if this is safe. But it's too late to turn back…" I swallowed. My eyes settled on a robot creature, whose back was bent over. It was holding a circle, which was actually a deactivated portal.

"There's a switch over there," Salerno pointed to the right. "Go see what it does." I nodded at Fierce Fox. She raced over to a pink screen with more hieroglyphs. She pulled the switch: the portal activated. Salerno gasped, "I think it's a portal to their world! I've got to go through!"

Fierce Fox started, "It's too-" But I interrupted her.

"Good luck, Salerno," I sighed. "Find the aliens for us."

"Thank you," Salerno nodded. "I'm glad you understand. Goodbye, and good luck, girls. Send my regards to Mission Control." She leaped into the portal. A large, diamond-blue beacon sucked her away in a flash of light. Fierce Fox and I gaped, before my Poptropican gave me a glance.

"What happened?" the director's voice buzzed out. "I haven't been able to reach you two. Do you have Salerno?"

"She's gone." Fierce Fox answered.

"But we'll hear from her again." I added, winking at Fierce Fox.

"Alright… then," the director replied. He sighed. "Let's just get you two home."

"You did good, kids," the director told us, once we arrived at Mission Control. "Thanks for trying to bring her home." He turned to me. "Though you said she'd be contacting us. Are you sure?"

"Yep," I answered. I pointed to a large screen. "Have a look." The director turned to the screen. There was an incoming message. One of the guys answered it. It showed Salerno with a bunch of aliens in the background. She waved a poster saying, 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED'.

"She did it!" the director exclaimed. "She really did it!" Then a man wearing a tuxedo entered the room. The director raised his brow. "Director McNabb!"

"I'll tell you what she did," Director McNabb- director of the Space Program- replied. "That heroic woman got people excited about space again. The president just called and promised whatever money we need to keep the Space Program going." He grinned at us. "And for you two, a special commendation." He handed Fierce Fox the medallion and me a free pass to visit the rocket ship anytime. I wasn't sure if I'd use it, but I guessed I could give it to someone else. That seemed pretty good.

~THIRD PERSON~

"It is nearly time," Zeus mused, storming around the lab. He faced the girl, who wiped her forehead. "Are you ready, girl? I'm sure my training was suitable for you."

"Yes…" the girl replied. "I am."

"Glorious," Zeus said, with a small smirk. "The others will be too focused on Alice's demise, so they won't notice you. By the time they do, it will be too late. Poptropica will be mine!"

"But what if I'm not the hero?" the girl asked nervously.

"Don't talk nonsense," Zeus grumbled. "The other girl's death will force you to be the hero. Nothing will change that. Now, go. Go to Erewhon, and prepare for her arrival, for it'll surely be a big one."

Louisa sighed. "Revenge it is, then."

Athena leaned back in her throne, sighing deeply. "Father, what are you hiding?"


	33. Super Villain Part 1

A hero will arrive from another world;

They will travel with whom they are connected to over islands.

The hero will make many friends; some unexpected.

On an island where villains are caught, the hero and their friends will decide:

To save their world or watch it die.

Those were the words that woke me up early in the morning. Panic washed over my body like a current. I felt sweat drench my forehead. I leaned back in my white bed, my pale blonde hair roughly spread out. For the entirety of the hero business, I'd been mostly confused. What did it mean? What was going to happen? Now I felt a stab of fear. This prophecy could end the entire world, or save it. And by the prophecy, I meant me. Or Louisa?

"Alice?" Mom's voice. Relief flooded through my body. I sat up. Mom entered the room, bags under her eyes. She seemed to have been worrying as well. "This… this… island. This is the one… that god will be on, right?"

"Yeah…" I replied, biting my lip. Mom put her hands on my shoulders.

"D-don't die, Alice..." she sobbed. She smiled gently. "But I believe in you. I know your father would have… he was so encouraging. I wasn't… and I wish I was. But it's never too late to change, right?"

I couldn't help but think about Fierce Fox. "Never."

"Well," I sighed as we landed on the oil rig that is Super Villain Island. "Here we are. Your favourite island." Fierce Fox flinched a little at that. I guessed it was because of the prophecy business.

"Nice day for saving the world, huh?" she asked, shrugging at me. I chewed my lip as a response. The oil rig's a few layers, with barrels of oil hanging from rope. The sky is a beautiful blue, though I could hear the echoes of storms in the distance. Silt-covered cranes hold up the many platforms.

"Don't die, Alice." Mom's voice echoed in my head. I gulped.

"This way," I led Fierce Fox up the platforms and into the pale green, dirty control room. It's much less interesting than the one on Lunar Colony. There's only one computer, and the room's much dirtier and scruffier. A woman wearing sunglasses and a helmet was frowning over something. And I knew exactly what she was frowning over.

She sighed. "What is he planning now? That girl he's working with… much too confusing. And now he needs another volunteer."

"We'll do that." I volunteered, my breath clogging in my throat. Fierce Fox nodded in agreement.

The woman stared at us. "You sure about that? Previous volunteers never came back."

"We're sure." Fierce Fox confirmed, putting on her brave face. Mine faltered.

The woman sighed again, sounding heavier. "I'll have our chopper give you a lift. The pilot will meet you outside. Just promise me to be careful, and come back right away." Fierce Fox and I glanced at each other. We exited the small room and came to the cool, crisp environment that is outside. A loud engine sounded above our heads. It was a sleek, white and navy blue helicopter, with lighting designs. It parked on the roof, its door opened.

Fierce Fox and I climbed aboard. It lifted gently into the blue sky, taking us away from the oil rig. I slumped on a plump seat next to Fierce Fox.

"We'll be fine, okay?" she assured me. She flexed her muscles. "I betcha Dorkarama can't stand against this!"

I pouted. "I hope."

"So, what island's next?" Fierce Fox asked, the helicopter approaching some rumbling clouds.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," I answered. I shook my head. "But let's not think about the future. We… we need to focus on now." We might not even get to the future, I mentally added. If I give up trying… you never fail if you don't try.

My thoughts turned to the present as wind and rain slammed against the windows. I saw lightning in the sky, which was really not a good sign.

"It's too windy!" the pilot cried. "I can't land! You'll have to jump!"

"Jump?!" Fierce Fox repeated. The two of us stood at the open door, wearing parachutes.

"You'll be fine!" the pilot assured. Probably not, but thanks, pilot. "When the weather clears, call me on this walkie-talkie and I'll pick you up!" A walkie-talkie entered Fierce Fox's inventory. I stared at the dark, stormy abyss we had to jump into.

"Never been skydiving before," I admitted. "And, unfortunately, I'm not really in the mood for it."

"Are you crazy?!" Fierce Fox shouted, glaring at the pilot.

"We've done worse." I argued, shrugging. Fierce Fox aimed her glare at me.

"Go!" the pilot ordered. And that's when I skydived for the first time. I mean, I'd done worse. Don't even talk about jumping into the Underworld. But at least Zeus wasn't trying to kill me then. And now he was. I think. Anyway, skydiving in stormy weather was pretty scary, I must admit. Rain was pouring down my body, and lightning flashes were everywhere.

"This way!" Fierce Fox cried. I darted towards her. A flash of lighting soared down from the sky. I closed my eyes, feeling my skin prickle. I was not having fun. Even Fierce Fox seemed a bit frazzled. Suddenly, I got an idea.

"Let your parachute go," I blurted. "And grab onto me. We'll fall faster."

"What?!" Fierce Fox bellowed, staring at me as if I had turned green. "You're as nuts as that pilot!"

"Science isn't nuts," I replied, though inside me doubts were growing. "Let go!" Fierce Fox frowned. "Do you trust me or not?!"

"No," Fierce Fox grumbled. She pouted. "But I'm from Mocktropica Island. So I'm kinda used to craziness." She released her parachute and grabbed onto me. Just as I predicted, we started falling faster, though it got harder to control. Soon, we started dropping, falling through the rain and clouds. I felt like screaming, but fear closed my throat. I was so relieved when we finally landed in the ocean.

We swam across the wild seas to an island made of cliffs. Cliffs are bounded together in dark shadows, covered in vines and other plants, supporting Erewhon Prison. Fierce Fox and I scaled up such cliffs. I slipped a few times. Maybe the falling rain contributed. Eventually, we reached the top. A camera scanned us. A brick wall covered with vines opened up, revealing Erewhon Prison. We went inside.

The inside is much nicer than the crazy outside. Security technology is on the walls. The walls and floor are made of marble. Lights hang down from the ceiling and some of the wall is made of black brick. A security guard let us through the security system; it was not pleasant.

"It's your life..." the guard warned us as we finished. That did not sound good. I gulped as Fierce Fox and I entered the guard room which is full of monitors and cameras. A lift is at the end, with the words, 'Dr. Jupiter's Lab', though they'd been scratched out.

"Weird," I observed. "They weren't scratched out in the original island…" I sighed and shook my head. "Well, here we go. I don't know what's going to happen behind these doors, but I hope it's not my death." Fierce Fox nodded in agreement. We headed inside the elevator (which made me uncomfortable- still hate elevators).

The elevator passed a bunch of previous villains, who I didn't want to look at. They appeared quite sad; I couldn't help but feel a little bad for them. Oh well. My heart stopped as the elevator arrived at 'Dr. Jupiter's' lab.

In there it was quite dark. Dark platforms stood on pillars. I saw large engines and experiments, though they were turned off. I gulped when I saw that the Dream Machine wasn't activated- and the four villains weren't there, either.

"There's supposed to be a machine here…" I gaped as we leaped down to the cold, hard floor. I gazed at the shelves of strange objects on the wall, while Fierce Fox shrugged at me.

"Alice!" a voice croaked, echoing through the empty lab. A girl raced over to us. She had long, soft, brown hair that reached her chest, though it appeared frazzled. Red glasses were over her eyes, accompanied by completely black clothing. She had pale skin. Her body seemed weak, like she hadn't eaten for a while. Stress filled her eyes, and her hands stuttered as she talked. Though she looked different, I couldn't doubt I recognized this person.

Louisa Van Tulleken.

"Thank… goodness you're here!" Louisa breathed frantically. "You've… you've got to stop him! He's going to use me to… to destroy Poptropica!"

"Zeus?" I questioned, raising my brow.

"Yes!" Louisa cried, sitting on one knee. "Alice… please. He'll… he'll kill me. You. Your friends."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Fierce Fox queried, scowling.

"You can't," Louisa said, staring at us. "But you must… stop… him. I… c-can't. Please… Alice." She gazed into my eyes. "Don't fail Poptropica like… this. This game is… your solace. Don't… don't let it die. Don't fail it now."

Pressure burned into my shoulders. "I… don't know. I don't know if… you're just saying that."

"I'm… not," Louisa breathed weakly. She stared at me again. I saw that kind girl inside her, asking for help. "Don't… fail… us."

I sighed and stretched out my hands. "Alright." I took a deep breath, feelings building up inside. "Where's Zeus? What do I need to do?"

Louisa, legs shaking, stood up. She gestured me to follow her, but shook her head at Fierce Fox. My Poptropican raised her brow. I gave her an assuring nod and trailed behind Louisa. My fellow human led me to a small, enclosed room. The four villain totems were inside. I gaped, feeling my heart pumping.

"Here they are," Louisa explained. "Zeus… he knows only a human can activate their true power. Well, they are strong without human power, but godly power can still overcome them. Zeus knows his brothers will be able to stop him, even with this power. Unless… unless a human chooses to unlock their power. Then Zeus will be unstoppable. That is… that is the hero's choice." She faced me. "But only one human- not Poptropican- can do it." Her smile became cruel. "And that human is me. Goodbye, Alice."

Suddenly, the roof burst open, and good old Thunderpants himself entered the room. His body was glowing with electricity; fear raced into my heart. He glared at me, his red toga flowing. Thunder boomed in the background. Zeus raised his lighting bolt.

"Goodbye, mortal." Zeus boomed, throwing the lighting bolt. The last thing I saw was a tremendous explosion, and then there was darkness.

...

"Dad, why do you want me to be a hero? Like Hercules?"

"Oh, Heavens no, Spark! Heroes aren't about saving the world and all that. Heroes come in all different shapes and forms. I think you can be a hero that inspires people. Travel, and teach them about whatever is right. That's heroism. I think you can do that, Spark. Be much better than me."

"Really, Dad?"

"Really, Spark. I believe in you."

...

White spots covered my vision and my whole body felt numb. Am I dead? I tried to move, but my aching body wouldn't let me. I didn't know where I was. My head was on a soft, white pillow, in some kind of bedroom. A creepy bedroom. The walls are black and the bed-frame is a dark green colour. The floor is marble black and there are creepy skull candles on the wall, which gave me serious déjà vu.

"Where am I?" I wondered aloud, my body screaming at me to stay still. "What happened…?" My memories felt a bit blurry. I think something hit me… but what? Where's Fierce Fox? Maybe this is a dream… Though I'm getting some serious déjà vu. I'm sure I've been here before… Or at least somewhere like this. That's when I heard some weird murmuring outside.

"I think she is awake, m'lord." a woman's voice. I didn't recognize it, but according to my logic it sounded like it belonged to a servant or something.

"Excellent," a male voice replied, which sounded awfully familiar. "When she is ready, tell her to come to the throne room." I raised my eyebrow, trying to get the pieces to come together. Lord… throne room… who is this? Though they seem so familiar-

"Greetings," my door opened. A ghost entered my room. Yes, you read that correctly. A ghost. She had pale, flowing robes and long hair. I felt sweat build on my palms as I crawled up against my pillow. "Do not be afraid, human. I am only here as a messenger from the lord."

"Um…" I chewed my lip, feeling a bit awkward. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"Your questions will be answered," the ghost replied calmly, in a whispery voice. "Are you capable of walking?"

"Not really…" I said. I took the black duvet off and noticed my clothes had burn marks on them, and a black cloak had been tied around my torso.

"Try walking." the ghost said, gesturing. I stood up. As soon as I touched ground, I felt perfectly fine. You gotta love Poptropican physics.

"Whoa…" I breathed, because I still wasn't used to these physics. I stared at the ghost. "So… can I see this lord guy now?"

"Of course," the ghost nodded at me. "This way, human." She floated out of the room. I followed her, mixed feelings brewing inside me. We walked through more creepy corridors, my mind finally taking everything in. I've definitely been here before, or some part of it. The ghost, the skulls, the black colours… wait a second… I know where I am! I'm in the-

"Long time no see." the familiar male's voice greeted me as we entered the throne room. The ghost disappeared into thin air; I was left alone in the room, where I'd definitely been before. The man- or should I say god- stared at me with dark eyes and black hair.

"Um, hi… Hades," I greeted, feeling uncomfortable, weak and scared. I was in the Underworld, in Hades' throne room. The Underworld. Does that mean I'm dead? "Err…"

"I suppose you'll want an explanation," Hades mused. I nodded eagerly. "No, you are not dead. But you almost died."

"How?" I asked, chewing my lip. Hades frowned.

"My youngest brother tried to kill you." he answered grimly. That's when the memories flooded back- Louisa, Zeus, Fierce Fox, Super Villain Island… I remembered it all. And I knew what Zeus was going to do.

"So… how was I saved?" I asked, raising my brow.

"My niece Athena figured out Zeus' plans just before you arrived on Super Villain Island," Hades answered. "She saw what Zeus was going to do with that other girl… what's her name…"

"Louisa." I blurted out, lacing my fingers together.

"Louisa," Hades continued. "Anyway, she knew that Louisa was going to assist Zeus and destroy you. Athena saved you. She contacted me and brought you down here. Zeus can't get you down here, even though he would assume you are down here regardless, being dead, but not alive. If you were anywhere else, he would try to kill you."

"So…" my brain put it together. "Louisa is helping Zeus… she's going to activate the totems, then Zeus will take over Poptropica. However, I could also be the hero, and Zeus doesn't want that… so he tried to kill me. But… can't you stop Louisa? Like, kill her or something?"

"I am afraid it's too late for that," Hades sighed. "She and Zeus are working together as we speak." He frowned. "We only kept you alive because if you're dead, Poptropica is doomed. You must stop my brother and his human assistant from destroying Poptropica."

"How long has she been here for?" I asked. "Has… Zeus been hiding her or something?"

"I assume so," Hades answered, appearing annoyed. Well, I'd be annoyed too if I had Zeus for a brother. "This ridiculous prophecy business… why did I partake in it? Oh well, too late to turn back now."

"So, how do I stop Zeus?" I asked, peering up at the god. "Also… do you know where Fierce Fox is?"

"You must seek Athena," Hades replied, leaning back in his throne. "I believe she'll know what to do." His expression changed. "I'm not sure where your friend is. But she is not dead."

"Alright…" I replied, feeling nervous. "How long do I have before Zeus destroys Poptropica?"

"I don't know exactly," Hades answered. "But knowing my brother, he will probably want to do it sometime dramatic, like midnight. Which is probably why he chose to kill you near the totems instead of when you were skydiving."

"What time is it now?" I asked, lacing my fingers together.

"You have a few hours until midnight arrives," Hades replied. He stared at me intensely. "You'll have to hurry with whatever Athena needs you to do."

"Got it," I said, trying not to shake. "So, where is Athena?"

"That mirror in your inventory will take you to her." Hades said, pointing at my inventory. I reached into it and pulled out the mirror. A glowing, golden olive symbol was on it. I sighed deeply.

"But… when I go to the, uh, surface…" I began. "Won't… Zeus find me?"

"You have been here long enough for Zeus to believe you are dead," Hades replied, standing up. "But don't be ignorant. Try to stay incognito and hide from him best you can. If anything, it's good to wear something that disguises you."

"Thanks," I replied. The whole world at stake… I didn't know what to make of that. I felt knots in my stomach. "And thanks again for the hospitality… Hades. I don't like the hero stuff either, to be honest. But I might not be alive without you."

"And they call me a death god," Hades sighed. His lip twitched. "But we have no time for a conversation. Go, girl. You must save the world."

"Saving the world," I said, fear clenching my heart. My feelings were still mixed, and I didn't like it. "Alright… goodbye then, Hades." I lifted my hand and brought out the mirror. I pressed the olive; glowing light covered my vision.

The light cleared. The physical atmosphere around me felt much lighter. I was no longer in the Underworld; instead, I was in the area nearby the Tree of Immortality. I was underneath a bushy olive tree, the sun shining above my head. I heard a few birds chirping in the distance. Leaves fluttered into my hair.

"Uh… Athena?" I called out quietly, in case Zeus was around. "Are you… here?"

"It seems my uncle did his job." a woman's voice said nearby me, aged with wisdom and familiarity. Athena, in the disguise of an old woman, approached me.

"Hey… Athena." I greeted, straightening my posture. She was a goddess, after all. Though I felt a little awkward. "Hades said I needed to... uh, speak to you."

"I won't tell you exactly what you must do," Athena replied, her eyes glimmering. "But I will guide you. Remember the prophecy, Alice."

"The prophecy…?" I questioned. I chewed my lip and thought about the prophecy. "The hero will travel with whom they are connected to over islands… Fierce Fox? But I don't know where she is!"

"Think of the entire prophecy." Athena encouraged. I racked my brain. The hero will make many friends; some unexpected. On an island where villains are caught, the hero and their friends will decide… friends? Friends… friends…

"Other friends?" I asked. Athena nodded, gesturing me to continue. "I need… I need help from other friends?"

Athena bowed her head. "You have made friends on other islands. Now it is time to find them."

"And… with their help, save the world?" I asked, tapping my chin. Athena nodded again. "But… how do I get to them? I have no transport."

"Are you sure?" Athena asked, raising her brow. "Think about what you've received from Poptropicans on other islands." I searched my brain again. What've I got from other islands? Think, Alice. No, don't think about school! Think about now… Hey… wait a second, Dr. Harold gave me a plane on Game Show, didn't he?

"Dr. Harold's plane?" I questioned. I reached into my inventory and grabbed the remote. Athena stared at it approvingly.

"You are understanding now," she confirmed. "You must go and seek your friends. Then, you must stop my Father and the other human before they destroy the world."

"How will I do that?" I asked, fumbling with my fingers.

"You will know when the time comes." Athena answered, gazing into my eyes. "But it'll involve teamwork with these other friends. I wish you luck."

"Thanks, Athena," I said, bowing my head. I hovered my thumb over the airplane button on my remote. I pressed it; Dr. Harold's plane arrived, with the words, 'Property of the inventor'. "Well, goodbye... I guess."

"Before you leave, human," Athena raised her hand. "Do not forget your fatal flaw. Don't let your guilt get ahead of you… if you do, you could fail us all."

"A-alright," I nodded. "I'll try." I climbed into the plane, facing the control screen. Athena seemed to have disappeared, which left me alone. I sighed, taking in a deep breath.

It's time to save the world.

…

"Mom, why did Dad lie to me?"

"Dad didn't lie, sweetheart. He… he just wanted to encourage you… especially after what'd happened to himself."

"What happened?"

"Nothing, sweetie. Now, off you go, to school."

"But people bully me!"

"Just… ignore them, Alice. You'll be fine."

"Yeah. Of course I will."


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor character death warning!

Time Tangled Island didn't look much different from the previous time I visited. Party Time Tower is still there. So is the lab, except it's much calmer. I held out Mighty Penguin's address, scanning the words.

"Where's Back to the Future avenue?" I asked. I giggled at the terrible pun name. "Oh, wow." I ended up finding a bunch of apartments and houses beyond Party Time Tower. I moved as fast as I could- it was the end of the world, after all. Eventually I found Back to the Future avenue and headed down it. I stopped in front of number 12. It's a simple, small house with a brown roof and cream bricks. Sighing, I knocked on the door.

"Just a sec!" a familiar voice called from inside. I heard some rustling and someone stomping around. Then the door opened, revealing Mighty Penguin. He was back to his male self, wearing casual clothes. A baseball cap is slicked over his dark brown hair and he's wearing a dark blue hoodie. Grey pants are on his legs and he's wearing no shoes (as usual with Poptropicans).

Mighty Penguin's face lit up as he stared at me. "Hey, Alice! 'Bout time- get it, since we're on Time Tangled- you came over to visit!"

I shook my head. "I'm afraid I'm not here for a casual visit." I sighed. "I need your help with something major." I did a little awkward shiver, 'cause that's just what I do sometimes.

"Er, what's that?" Mighty Penguin asked, raising his brow.

"I need you to help me save the world." I replied, chewing my lip.

The next stop on the 'save the world' journey was to pick up Amelia. I was petrified- very- and my body felt cold. Yet I felt dashes of enthrallment, too. I was nervo-cited. Mighty Penguin was still a little perplexed, but he got the jist. He knew what we were doing and even helped me plan... a little. Though it didn't really have to do with saving the world, I asked him if he had a voice. He told me yes; it usually made him a 'background character' on islands for reasons he didn't know. I didn't reply.

We landed on Home Island. It felt odd going on a quest without Fierce Fox- like something was missing. And I felt worried, too. Is she okay? I really hoped so. Hades told me she's not dead, but what if she's injured and trapped? It made me uncomfortable to think about that.

"Hey, you alright?" Mighty Penguin asked, waving his hand in front of my face.

"Yeah… just worried, that's all." I sighed. "Come on, let's get Amelia."

Amelia, thankfully, was rather optimistic. Well, she always is, even during a tragic event. I felt slightly jealous of this, since my feelings were so mixed and weird. But above all, I was nervous. So very nervous.

"Who's next, Alice?" Amelia asked enthusiastically.

I took a deep breath. "C.J from Shrink Ray Island."

C.J was still at school with her parents. She gave me a nod when she saw me and a wave at my friends.

"Hey, Alice," she greeted. "Thanks again for your help."

"No problem," I replied. "But now I need your help."

After C.J was Thomas Edison on Mystery Train Island. Zeus hadn't destroyed that island, thank everything. Thomas was still in Chicago, so we had to fly over there by plane. It was way quicker (and less mysterious) than taking the train. Thomas was by his stand and seemed quite happy to see me. I told him about the plans.

"Yes, I've heard of the gods on Mythology Island," Thomas commented. He frowned. "I don't normally go on islands like that. They… disturb me. But if it's for Poptropica, I'll do it."

I checked my list of all my closest friends. We had one left: Sprocket. We picked him up- he seemed terrified of the idea (ditto, buddy) but he agreed to come. I thought about contacting some of the nice gods as well, but they were gods, and we were mortals, so I scratched that idea. I wanted to find Fierce Fox too, but I knew we didn't have enough time and would have to go on without her. So with a sigh, I landed the plane on Early Poptropica, hoping Zeus wouldn't find us.

"Alright," I began. My friends and I were sitting in the small plane, on top of the Pop Art museum (which is totally illegal in my world, but whatever). "So, you all know what's going on. I guess… I guess now we have to figure out a plan to stop Zeus and save Poptropica."

"Pfft, like we know a lot about Mythology Island," Mighty Penguin commented. "Yet alone the gods. I've only heard of them, really."

"Well… today you get to meet and fight one of them," I replied. I shook my head. "But think seriously. We… we need to come up with a plan."

"Confrontation?" C.J suggested. She shrugged at us. "What? I want some action! School can be very mundane sometimes."

"I think a sneak-attack would be better," Thomas retorted, tapping his chin. He snapped his fingers. "We'd get them by surprise!"

"Element of surprise…" I mused. "That'd be good. Though Zeus is a god, so if we enter his realm he'll probably be watching us or something."

"I'm good with machinery, not gods," Sprocket sighed, his engines whirring. "But I think we could use some weapons. Do you have any?"

"Well, I've got Hades' crown," I answered. "I think. And I had Poseidon's trident, but it's disappeared for some reason." My face crinkled. "Uh oh… I hope Poseidon doesn't find out."

"Erm… who's Hades?" Mighty Penguin asked, furrowing his brow.

"God of the Underworld," I answered. "And Zeus' brother. But he's one of the good guys, I'm pretty sure. Same with Poseidon, his other brother. Anyway, has anyone got any other ideas?"

Mighty Penguin's eyes lit up. "Hey… what Sprocket said with the weapons. How about we burst in, guns blazing? We'll all get a weapon and attack!"

"But do we have enough weapons?" Amelia asked. "It seems only Alice has a weapon- and it seems to be a defense more than anything."

"Well, it's like I want to be on the offensive," I sighed. I stared at Mighty Penguin. "That's actually a pretty good idea, MP. But Amelia's right. We need more weapons."

"I have my shrink ray!" C.J said cheerfully. She brought out her backpack and pulled out her shrink ray. I grabbed Hades' crown and held it in my hand. Fear radiated from it, clenching my heart. Same with the others.

"Underworld, alright," Mighty Penguin muttered, his eyes widening. He shook his head. "Well, you two are sorted. I've got no weapons apart from my fists."

"I'm a robot," Sprocket said quietly. "I have… guns and things."

"An adventurer is never unprepared!" Amelia said gleefully, pulling out a dagger. She flinched. "Just remembered it was in my pocket… heh..."

"I've got no weapons," Thomas sighed. "Nothing but my inventions." He shrugged. "Maybe one will be useful."

"Actually, I think there's a pole vault in my house from the Poptropolis Games," Mighty Penguin mused. He grinned. "Could be useful."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Hades' crown, a pole vault, a shrink ray, robot weapons, some inventions, and a dagger. Alright, then. Let's see how this will go." I tried to ignore the welling fear inside me. We're gonna fail, we're gonna fail, we're gonna fail!

Calm down, I told myself. We'll be fine. We… we have to believe.

Pfft, like you can do that, the voice replied. I ignored it.

THIRD PERSON

Zeus stormed around on the mighty Mount Olympus. The skies were dark and thunderous, creating the perfect atmosphere. The villain totems were in the middle of the area, glowing with electricity and waiting to be awoken. A girl was on the floor, her brown hair covering her tired eyes. It had been a while since she'd slept or eaten properly. The past few weeks had been nothing but training and the girl felt it burn in her limbs.

"It is time." the god declared. Louisa stood up, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes. Her red glasses sat upon her nose as she stepped forward, nearing the totems. This was it. The end of the world. Alice's world. She almost hesitated, but kept pushing forward. Alice's criminal father had killed her mother. Why should she be merciful to his daughter and her happiness?

Suddenly, Zeus held up a hand. His face creased in dismay. "Mortals approach." He took a step back when he saw such mortals.

"Stop right there!" Alice was in front, her blonde hair flowing. A group of Poptropicans were behind her, clutching various weapons. The only one Zeus saw threat in was Alice's weapon- his brother's crown. Though Zeus could see fear in the human's eyes. Mortals were scared very easily. This wouldn't be difficult for him. Alice may not have been killed before, but she would definitely die now.

"You survived," Zeus chuckled darkly. "How amusing. But I'm afraid your victory has been cut short." He formed a lightning bolt in his hand and launched it at the friends.

"MOVE!" Mighty Penguin screamed. The friends leaped out of the way just as the lightning bolt smashed part of the marble floor.

"Foolish mortals!" Zeus boomed. He rose into the sky, power flowing around him. "You will regret interrupting my plans!" He formed another storm in the sky with thunder claps so loud they could be heard on Early Poptropica. Alice finally felt fear hit her all at once. She was going to die.

ALICE

I was terrified. My voice had become all croaky, and for a moment, I was paralyzed. Come on, pull yourself together! I told myself sternly. I sighed and stared at my friends.

"Guys," I ordered. "Don't let Zeus get near the totems-" I pointed to such items, "-and try and fight him off best you can. I'm not really sure how to defeat him… let's just focus on not letting him get anymore powerful." My friends nodded and brought out their weapons. I put on Hades' crown and felt myself grow to a god size. I adjusted for a few seconds, then approached the totems. Zeus was glaring at C.J, who'd shrunken a statue of him. Thomas and Mighty Penguin joined my side (they looked oddly little) as we stared at the totems.

"I think we should destroy them," Thomas suggested. He shrugged. "I don't know! I don't understand any of this!" He gave a nod at my height.

"Ditto, Tom," Mighty Penguin agreed. He raised his pole vault. "But let's destroy 'em anyway."

"Don't try it." Louisa warned, crawling over to greet us. She stood up and clenched her fists. I noticed how tired and weak she looked- like she hadn't slept for a week. I don't think Zeus was looking after her very well.

"Louisa…" I began. "Why are you doing this?"

"None of your business, Crashice!" Louisa snapped. "But you can thank your father for this!"

"What?" I questioned, raising my brow. Louisa nodded at Zeus; a gust of wind blew Thomas, Mighty Penguin and I away. Then Zeus focused on Amelia who was running around, wielding her dagger.

"Yeah," Mighty Penguin nodded. "Destroy the totems, then take down the god?" Thomas and I figured that was a good plan.

"Oh, it's not going to be easy," Louisa said, grinning maliciously at us. "You may have Hades' crown, Alice, but that doesn't guarantee your survival. In fact, none of your friends have any chance of survival. So you really made a big mistake coming here." She gestured to Amelia and C.J, who were unconscious. Their clothes were burnt.

"I won't waste my powers on pointless mortals," Zeus scoffed, his red toga flowing. He glared at me. "You are an exception. You are delaying my plans and I can't have that."

"Get the totems!" Mighty Penguin shouted. He and Thomas raced towards the totems, grabbing Zeus' attention. I tapped the crown out of nerves; suddenly I turned invisible, like the air.

Huh, I thought. Didn't know it could do that. Being invisible, I raced forward. I summoned some small, firm, pink clouds- I could do that if I had a godly weapon- and floated in the sky. I didn't have any other weapons, apart from some stuff in my inventory. I charged towards Zeus, fists clenched. I managed to hit him before he could harm Thomas or Mighty Penguin. Zeus glowered and summoned his power balls, smashing me to the ground.

"No more games!" he boomed. "I don't have time for you pesky mortals!" The skies suddenly darkened and lightning crackled in the distance. I got a very bad feeling in my gut. Lightning swirled around, creating a massive ball of energy. My friends and I backed away slowly, the scent of ozone filling the air. The lightning was hurled down on top of us. Well, almost. A powerful force shoved us out of the way.

That force belonged to Fierce Fox.

"Fierce Fox!" I cried, flabbergasted. There she was, in all her glory. She wasn't burnt at all and a look of determination was expressed on her face. Her long, red hair flowed in the wind. Gripped tightly in her right fist was Poseidon's trident, which explained where both she and it had gone.

"Curse my brothers!" Zeus roared. Power began filling the air again. The god stared down at Louisa. "Use the shield on the totems. On my word… you know what to do." Louisa nodded. I felt fear stab me again.

"Here," Fierce Fox held out her hand to me. "I'll deal with him." She grabbed Hades' crown from my head; I returned to my normal self. The enlarged Fierce Fox charged after Zeus. That left the rest of us to deal with Louisa and the totems.

"Did you think this would be easy?" Louisa asked darkly. "Before Zeus flew off to fight your friend, he gave me a special gift." She dropped something on the floor. It appeared to be a little lighting bolt. It exploded across the floor, sending out sparkly, yellow waves of electric power. In horror, I leaped up. However, my friends were electrocuted and knocked out. Louisa grinned maliciously at me and raised the lightning bolt.

"Why are you doing this, Lou?" I demanded. "How did you even get here?!"

"I could be asking you the same question," Louisa answered. She clenched her fist. "As for why I'm doing it? Well…" Her expression darkened. "I think it's time you got a taste of your own medicine. You took away my family and what was left of it. Now it's time I take something from you." Strangely, her voice trembled as she said this.

"Louisa, look, I'm sorry about your mom's jacket," I insisted. "It was an accident! I would never do something like that on purpose."

"No, Alice," Louisa growled. "Do you know anything about your father? What really happened in that car accident?"

"No…?" I breathed. I felt fear well in my chest, while lightning bolts filled the sky like asteroids. "I don't understand. What did Dad do?"

Louisa snarled. "You don't know? Well, I'm not surprised your mom didn't say anything. Let's just say your dad is a little more… bad than you think he is."

"... what?" I asked, raising my brow. "I don't-"

"Alice, you idiot," Louisa growled, shadows appearing more prominent on her face. She really did not look like the friendly girl I saw at school. "That car accident. Your dad died, right? Well… there was another woman involved. She died too. And she was… my mother."

I gasped in shock. I didn't know the woman was Louisa's mom! I was too focused on Dad to worry about who the other person was- same with my mom. It made me feel sick and guilty. My stomach trembled under my loose, white long-sleeve.

"That's right," Louisa continued. "Once you learn your dad's… little secret, you'll see that we bullied you for more than your leg."

"I..." I was gobsmacked. I couldn't even focus on my friends lying on the floor or Fierce Fox fighting Zeus in the sky. I always knew deep inside that it was silly to tease me about my injuries- that it was more than that. But what did it have to do with Dad? I didn't think he was anything bad. Quite the opposite, frankly. His death had affected me greatly- if he hadn't died, I wouldn't have let myself be bullied. It was because we had such a good relationship. It felt like a betrayal to know there was something he didn't tell me.

Louisa bowed her head. "Alice… it's complicated. We went to the same schools, since we lived near each other- that's how we met. I found out you were Mr. Manchester's daughter after mom died- and that it was your dad's fault for her demise. I told Chrissi- she's like my big sister- and she was disgusted. That's when she turned on you. I could've been mean to you myself… but I wasn't… because I was…" She shifted uncomfortably. "I am… I… had a… er… crush on you."

That hit me with surprise. "You're gay?" I asked. I bit my lip. "I mean, I don't have a problem with that, but… I didn't know you… er, liked me."

Louisa sighed. "Yes, I'm gay… and I liked you. That's why I was nice to you. But part of me still hated you, after what happened to Mom. That's why I let Chrissi bully you. She was taking out my anger on you... for me."

My brain slowly processed this information. "So… Chrissi was really bullying me on your behalf?" Again, I felt stunned. "Oh man… there's so much I don't know!" I had millions of questions, especially ones to ask Mom. I gazed at Louisa. "What about your dad?"

"He left when I was born," Louisa answered, gritting her teeth- I could see she had some daddy issues. "We're not talking about him." She raised the lightning bolt. "I've been wasting time talking when I should be killing you and your friends! So now, die!"

"Wait!" I cried, holding up my hands. "Lou… you really don't have to… do this. When… Dad died, it took a lot out of me- if he hadn't died, I would've stuck up for myself. I turned to this computer game he once showed me- Poptropica. And that's where I found my solace. Then I started entering it and slowly getting my confidence back. It's pushed me where nowhere else has. I've made new friends… and, now, here I am, saving Poptropica."

"Nice story," Louisa commented. She glared. "But I'm not taking mercy!"

"Wait!" I shouted. "Louisa… I'm sorry about what happened to your parents… but you can't hang onto the event and turn evil. You can't hurt everyone like this. I hurt myself- and a few others- when Dad died. But I'm learning... you have to let go. I get that you're upset… but this isn't right. And it's not just for me- it's for everyone."

"I don't need to listen to you!" Louisa roared. She faced the stormy skies, where the two figures were launching lightning at each other. "M'lord! Is it time?" A crack of lighting slithered across the sky as her answer. Louisa grinned and turned to the totems.

"Louisa!" I pleaded. "You can't do this! You'll hurt so many people!"

"You can't convince me, Crashice," Louisa growled. "Give up and go back home. If you have one, that is." She reached her hands out to the totems. I stared at my friends, who were still on the floor. Lightning was wrapped around their bodies, so they couldn't move. Meanwhile in the sky, Fierce Fox was getting tired, yet Zeus was still strong. Louisa was at the totems, ready to release their power. I wouldn't be able to stop them. I was doomed. I had failed.

I turned away, feeling tears burn the back of my eyes. Fierce Fox crashed-landed onto the marble floor; the electricity grabbed her too.

"Good, Crashice!" Louisa called. "Walk away, go home! That's where you'll be safe!" She pointed to my mirror, which appeared in my hand. It showed a picture of my living room covered in a toasty light. Mom and Dad were there, looking all happy and cheerful. I gazed back my friends: doomed, stuck on the floor. Louisa was holding the totems. I could already feel the energy building. Even if I stayed, Poptropica was screwed. If I went home… at least I'd be safe.

Home vs. Poptropica. The choice seemed so easy... so obvious. I reached out to my living room.

"Alice, don't you dare!" Fierce Fox warned, looking old like her future self.

"I can't, Fierce Fox." I said quietly. "It's the end." My parents were smiling at me from the living room. So inviting, so safe…

"You can take them on!" Fierce Fox encouraged. She eyed the godly weapons laying on the floor, shining brilliantly. "You can destroy them!"

"I can't," I insisted. "Godly power won't be able to stop them."

"No," Sprocket was now awake. "But what about human and... godly power? I heard humans have lots of power here…"

"I don't know…" I said, feeling weak inside. Bursts of hope within me were like firecrackers, trying to explode. But my brain wasn't giving them any ignition.

"The power will be unleashed!" Louisa bellowed. She raised the totems; they glowed with white energy. Suddenly, they started taking energy from Louisa, turning her skin deathly pale. Red vanished from her cheeks and light fluttered out of her eyes.

Louisa was dying.

"FINALLY!" Zeus boomed as the totems surrounded him. "I HAVE FULL POWER!"

Louisa fell to the ground, her chest heaving. I realized the totems must've taken so much energy from her they killed her. It made me feel all sick and weird inside- like I'd eaten too much and my body couldn't decide whether to vomit or not. My brain didn't even conclude she was dead until she stopped moving. It just didn't feel real… she couldn't be dead! It happened so suddenly. Like Dad's death. And Zeus didn't even care. Selfish jerk.

The mirror dropped out of my hand. "Zeus… Louisa…"

"I knew that would happen all along, mortal," Zeus grumbled. "I did not tell her this, though. She would have never agreed. But it's too late now. Poptropica is mine!" The totems glowed in front of him, forming a beam of power. The beam swirled around the god. I had to shield my eyes. When the light subsided, Zeus was gone, and the sky was covered in black clouds. In the distance, I heard things smashing and crashing, and screams of the innocent. If I felt anymore sick I would've passed out.

It felt like I'd failed. I could've saved Louisa… but I chose to admire home and think of safety, where I couldn't fail. But I'd failed anyway and I hated it.

"Oh guys…" I stared at my friends, who were now awake.

"Holy moley," Mighty Penguin whistled. "That Zeus guy is serious."

"Well, it's over," I said, like I was talking about a football game and not the end of the world. "Hope you guys like Zeus-tropica."

"Alice!" Fierce Fox glared at me, wiggling in her lightning prison. "You can still stop him!"

"Heh," I replied in that casual tone. "We lost. My fault. But it's fine, y'know? It's why I don't try." My emotions were mixed. I felt so sick I couldn't do anything. Tons were going to die because of me. I was a big fat failure.

"Don't be stupid!" Fierce Fox screamed. "You can! You've got the weapons! Don't you remember what Sprocket said?"

"I CAN'T, OKAY?!" I screamed back, tears flowing out of my eyes. I gazed at Louisa. "I should… go home."

"Please, Alice," Amelia begged, sounding desperate. "Do it for us! Your friends!"

"That's right, Al!" C.J agreed. "We think you're cool, so show that god you're cool too!"

"I think you'll do fine." Thomas nodded. I couldn't help but smile.

"You guys are awesome friends…" I sighed. I shook my head. "But it's impossible."

"Just try," Fierce Fox insisted, giving me the kindest grin I'd ever seen on her face. "We'll support you no matter what, okay? We got you!"

I sighed. "Fine… fine… I'll try. For you." A cheer sounded from the group. My inner firecrackers sizzled. I placed Hades' crown on my head and gripped Poseidon's trident in my fist. "Alright… let's go fight a god."

It was no surprise to find Zeus in front of a Liberty-sized statue of himself. The skies were dark and red. The seas were wild. The air felt thick on my skin and debris floated around here and there. I sighed and raised Poseidon's trident. Clouds formed under my feet and carried me near Zeus and his stupid statue.

"So!" the god chuckled. "You dare to enter my presence, mortal?"

"Stop this, Zeus!" I growled, clenching my fists.

"I don't see why you are still trying," Zeus replied, rolling his eyes. "Oh well. It will bring me much amusement to see your demise!" He summoned the four totems; they turned into a beam. The beam charged towards me, glowing with pure, white energy. Screaming, I leaped out of the way. The beam landed in the sea and caused a mini tidal wave, which headed towards an unfortunate island.

I raised Poseidon's trident and threw some lightning bolts at the god. Zeus flicked them off like they were flies and raised his massive fists. The sky turned a darker red. It started raining fire. I yelped and hid under some debris, but the fire soon destroyed it. So I sighed and fired at Zeus again, but I couldn't land a single blow on him. I realized the whole battle was going to be like this, especially when Zeus threw red-hot, ginormous cannonballs at me.

I thought, well, Sprocket said something about human energy powering weapons. If I can use some of my energy to power the godly weapons… could that work? But... even if it does, I don't know how to power the weapons.

"DIE, MORTAL!" Zeus screamed, bringing down another power beam. I scrambled out of the way and focused on the godly weapons. They're pretty powerful on their own. With my 'human energy' they might be more powerful than the totems. I assumed I needed to transfer my energy or something, so I did. That didn't work, so I thought about what Louisa had said. Something about sacrifices. So I thought about sacrificing my energy, and by the gods, it worked.

I felt tired after it was done, like I went to bed late, but the energy from the weapons felt quite strong. Zeus was still causing destruction. I guess he was bored. I put the crown on my head and the trident in my fist and flew up to fight the god. He smirked when he saw me, expecting another lousy attempt. I showed him 'lousy attempt' and nearly knocked him out of the sky.

"Well!" Zeus exclaimed. "Seems you've got some power to spare, mortal! But you will not prevail for long!" He and I clashed in the sky. Zeus used his own godly weapon as well as the totems. I turned invisible and scared Zeus, then knocked him with a blow from the trident. Zeus retaliated and smashed me with a power beam, though I got up quickly. I went from being thrashed to the one thrashing. We fought all over the sky, causing quite a lot of damage. I realized eventually nothing was going to happen, so I needed to change the odds. And that was by destroying Zeus' totems.

I approached the villain totems which were floating around Zeus. I focused all my energy with the crown and the trident and blasted it towards the totems. One cracked and rained down into dust. Zeus glared daggers at me.

"You will not stop me!" he boomed. The totems flew around him again, forming another power beam. It was easier to avoid than the previous beams, due to the missing totem. I grinned and edged towards the god. He shot some lightning bolts at me. I deflected them with my OP weapons. I launched a beam of my own and destroyed another totem. It only got easier from then; soon all the totems were destroyed.

"I cannot believe this!" Zeus raged. "The totems were supposed to be impossible to destroy!" He glared at me and clenched his fists. The sky rumbled. "Bah! I don't need those pathetic totems to beat you! I am the God of Thunder!" He disappeared in a crackle of electricity and popped up inside the statue of himself, animating it. It glowed with white energy. The eyes shot out lightning bolts three times my size- and I mean my bigger form.

I raised the trident again and charged for the eyes. I let the energy flow and smashed it into the eyes. They shook and fizzed, like soda when you shake it. I hit them again. Power rumbled within the statue. Zeus returned to his normal self and glared at me.

"No!" he screamed. "I WILL NOT LOSE TO A MORTAL!" His body turned pure white just as I chucked the trident at the god. I didn't see what happened as my vision was covered in nothing but light.

...

"Dad, why are you acting so weird today?"

"No reason in particular, spark."

"It's Halloween! There's lots of candy and stuff!"

"It must be the candy, then. That's what you're seeing."

"Oh... okay. I love you, Dad."

"I… I love you, too, Spark."

THIRD PERSON

Alice awoke in her bed, her forehead covered in sweat. Her chest was heaving and she felt mixed inside. Her frantic mind tried to contemplate everything that had happened, but it couldn't. She shook her hands, admiring her room. The blandness brought odd peace to her, settling her frantic heart and mind.

"Alice?" her mother's voice croaked outside. "Oh, Alice!" the woman raced in and flung her arms around her daughter. "You're okay! I was worried sick!"

"Yeah… I think." Alice replied unsteadily, her arms trembling. She had so many questions and so much confusion. She felt more sick than ever.

"What's that necklace?" Alice's mother asked, pointing to a golden medallion around her daughter's neck.

"It's the medallion," Alice examined, gazing over the golden item. "The medallion for Super Villain Island… I did it, I really did it!" Then she passed out from utter exhaustion. Her mother chuckled and pulled the doona over her daughter.

"Sleep tight, sweetie." she said, leaving the room.


	35. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Louisa.

It was all Louisa. The hooded person who approached me before I entered Astro Knights… the one who tried to grab me on Nabooti Island… Fierce Fox's temporary voice on Reality TV... I saw it now. But why would she do that? How did she get in contact with Zeus? How did she find me? How was she able to stay in Poptropica? How did she get to Poptropica at all, for that matter? I sighed. Louisa was dead… it didn't feel real. Now I'd never find the answers… And of course, I had more questions. It made me tired and stressed to think about all this. I just hoped everyone was okay.

"Alice," Fierce Fox's voice appeared near my head. "Hey, Alice."

I was in a cute little bedroom. The doona is black with colourful firework patterns, matching the pillow. The sheets are white, like the wall. Or what I could see of the wall. It's covered in posters of things like, 'TAX CUT ISLAND'- that's obviously from Mocktropica Island- as well as 'DREAM BIG' posters. There are a few locked crates and shelves holding maps and action figures. The floor's a soft, grey carpet.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking around.

"My room," Fierce Fox answered, scratching the back of her head. "On Home Island. I… come here when I'm not on island quests and stuff. You were kinda dazy, so I brought you here."

"Whoa…" I observed the room. I didn't know Fierce Fox had a room! "Nice room. Way more interesting than mine." I got to my feet, feeling energy rush to my limbs. I stared at the posters. "Are those from Mocktropica Island?"

"Family gifts," Fierce Fox answered gruffly. "They send stuff sometimes. Money. Posters. Like I care about that." She frowned. "Whatever. Betcha wanna know what happened with the prophecy and all that, right?" I nodded unsteadily. "Alright. So, there was this massive explosion, and we were freed. We didn't know where you were. Then this goddess- Athena, I think- showed up and told us Zeus had been defeated. She said you'd gone back to your world. She said well done and all that, then we went our separate ways. Though we're keeping in contact over you."

"Oh," I said, chewing my lip. "Well… I'm glad everything worked out." I was enthralled everyone was okay and this prophecy business was finally over. Happiness suddenly burned within me like a fire. A smile spread on my lips. I hugged Fierce Fox. She leaned back in surprise.

"Alright," she grumbled, though I could see her grin. "Let's not get carried away. We've got an island to complete, remember?"

"I know, I know," I replied, backing away. "Just one more question." Fierce Fox sighed. "What happened to Louisa? Y'know… the girl that… died."

Fierce Fox raised her brow. "I've got no idea," she said. "Maybe you should ask that Underworld god… what's his name… Hades, right? Yeah, ask him."

I sighed and pouted. "Alright. Let's go to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory."

It snows on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Island, but I didn't feel cold. I tugged at my grey scarf regardless. A blond boy with pale skin was hanging outside the candy store. His name's Charlie Bucket, and he loves chocolate. A lot. He'd do anything for a Wonka Bar, but he didn't have any money. So Fierce Fox and I went to get him some money.

We passed some grey apartments, brick houses and tall buildings. We also passed a poorly-built, wooden house, which is unfortunately Charlie's house. I think it's safe to say he wasn't very rich.

Fierce Fox and I fiddled with some phone boxes (rare to find one of those these days) and grabbed a silver coin. We gave it to Charlie, cheering him up. He rushed to the Corner Store and bought a chocolate bar. Now, if you've read the book or seen the movie (really good book, by the way), you'll know that Willy Wonka was hiding golden tickets in chocolate bars. People who found the tickets got to go to his factory and get free chocolate. My luck isn't great, but this is Poptropica. So of course when I opened Charlie's chocolate bar, there was a golden ticket inside.

"Really?!" Charlie cried, jumping for joy. "Could it be?! We found a golden ticket!"

"How did he manage it?" an outraged townswoman complained. "Twenty bars a day I've been buying!"

"That's great," I said, pressing my fists together. "But this is Charlie's! Shove 'em, Fierce Fox!" Fierce Fox and I shoved the townspeople out of the way; Charlie burst through the door. The townspeople chased after him, and we chased after them. We threw things like rubbish at their feet so they'd slip and fall down. It took a while, but eventually Charlie was safe from being 'torn up like a chocolate wrapper'.

The next morning, Fierce Fox and I were hanging in front of Willy Wonka's majestic factory. It has big, red gates, with golden print. Thick, brick walls surround the outside of the factory. Townspeople were standing there, curious of where Willy Wonka could be. I chewed my lip. Only one ticket's supposed to come out of the factory… which means someone will miss out. I frowned at that.

"What's up?" Fierce Fox asked, noticing my expression. I was about to answer, when the golden ticket fluttered out of the factory. I sighed.

"Go after that," I told my partner, biting my lip. "That'll get you into the factory." Fierce Fox shrugged and chased after it. I sighed and stared at the entrance. Will things be different because of me? Or will they be the same? I didn't know and I hated it. I was sick of not knowing. I decided to head inside and be Fierce Fox's honorary family member. I was her voice, after all.

I didn't talk to the other people, though they looked at me oddly. I wondered if they knew about the prophecy business. Possibly. Fierce Fox soon arrived. I patted her shoulder.

"Well, you've got the ticket," I said, smiling. "I'm gonna be your honorary family member. All the other kids have their family members… so here I am."

Fierce Fox seemed okay with that. Suddenly, Willy Wonka burst through a golden door. He wields a cane and a fancy top hat. A huge grin is spread on his face.

"Welcome, my little friends!" he introduced cheerfully. "Welcome to the factory! Please come forward with your golden tickets!" The children approached Willy Wonka in this order: Augustus Gloop (he's a fat chocolate lover), Veruca Salt (rich and spoiled), Violet Beauregarde (obsessed with gum), Mike Teavee (T.V lover), Charlie Bucket (I think you know him), and finally, Fierce Fox. Willy Wonka was a bit suspicious about Fierce Fox (and myself), but let us in regardless.

The inside of the factory is quite spectacular. It's chocolate brown (what other colour would it be?), and full of candy-related things such as inventions and bushes. All the children except Fierce Fox and Charlie became a little over-excited and rushed down some downward slopes that lead to various rooms. Their families followed them.

Mr. Wonka sighed in disapproval. "Hmm, look at that. Children misbehaving. We'd better find them before they mess everything up."

"Which way do we go?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Why, the right way of course!" Willy Wonka answered cheerfully. "Do me a favour and fetch my cane and we'll see if we can't do something about this." Fierce Fox shrugged and went to get Mr. Wonka's cane. He turned to me and winked. "And you be careful, little hero. Trouble's never really over." I blinked, and he and Charlie were gone. Fierce Fox appeared behind me.

"Where'd they go?" she asked, raising her brow.

"Let's go to the Chocolate Room." I answered, feeling a shiver down my spine.

We had to go through quite a few corridors, but eventually we made it to the Chocolate Room. Like the name, the Chocolate Room is made of chocolate. The grassy mountains; biscuit fences; lollipops; chocolate ocean; everything. Except the pipes. But apart from those, everything is chocolate. Augustus Gloop was in there, drooling. He leaped into the chocolate river and was pulled up a pipe. His mother freaked out and started crying. Then Fierce Fox and I got to work.

I pulled a valve, which dragged the chocolate with Augustus upwards. Fierce Fox tugged another valve; Augustus was dragged another way. His mother continued sobbing.

"Augustus Gloop!" some Oompa-Loompas sang. "Augustus Gloop! The great big greedy nincompoop!"

"Seems accurate." I whispered to Fierce Fox. She snorted. "Come on, we've gotta go help them." She and I entered the Fudge Room, which is where the chocolate goes and gets made into candies and bars. There's technical equipment on separate levels with different purposes. Augustus landed on a conveyor belt and started moving across.

With my instruction, Fierce Fox pressed a series of buttons so Augustus wouldn't get hurt. I pressed some other buttons, doing the same thing. The hardest part is the end, where there's a conveyor belt moving through a fiery zone. It was still a bit of a challenge even with two of us. We might've had to restart a few times.

Anyway, Augustus came out alive- and chocolatey. His mom was ecstatic. Fierce Fox and I high-fived. The Oompa Loompas sung their song, then raced off with the Gloops. Fierce Fox and I returned to the corridors, heading to the Inventing Room (we were doing it in the order of the book).

The Inventing Room is like a basement full of bright colours. Like, if you were to mix a blacksmith's with a rainbow. There's a giant gumball machine standing on a coloured keyboard, I guess you could call it. I stepped on one of the keys. Inside the gumball machine, a gumball was being created. The new gumball quickly reached the end of the machine.

"Oh, boy!" Violet Beauregarde cried. "Gum!"

"Right you are!" Willy Wonka said, smiling. "It's the most amazing and fabulous and sensational gum in the world!" Violet, looking eager, ate the gum. She chewed it with a big, fat grin.

"It's tomato soup!" Violet exclaimed. "It's hot and creamy and delicious!" She gasped. "It's changing! It's roast beef! It's tender and delicious." She gasped again. "Blueberry pie and cream! Oh my, it's perfect." Suddenly, her skin turned to the colour of her name, and she began swelling up like a beach ball. The Oompa Loompas, singing their song, rushed in and took her away.

I sighed. "Are kids really that stupid?" Normally I'm not so harsh, but really…

"You goody two-shoes," Fierce Fox rolled her eyes. She cocked her head towards a door. "They went in there. Do we-"

"Yes, we do," I replied. We walked through the door and came to the Juicing Room. It's clean and white- if you save all the juice and fruit scraps lying around. There's a section of conveyor belts and machinery. The machinery do different things to the fruit- we wanted them to squeeze the juice out of Violet. It's not as hard as Augustus Gloop. We just had to put Violet in the correct place. Then, the machine reached down and squeezed her; her skin returned to normal. She and her dad left after that.

The next room was the Nut Room. There are certainly a lot of nuts; they sit on a conveyor belt. Squirrels sort them out, checking if they're good or bad. I picked up a walnut, then gestured Fierce Fox to follow me. Veruca Salt and her dad were there, checking out the squirrels.

"Hey, Daddy!" Veruca cried. "I've decided I want a squirrel! Get me one of those squirrels!"

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," Veruca's father replied. "These all belong to Mr. Wonka."

"I don't care!" Veruca whined. "I want one!" She leaped up to the squirrels to try and grab one. However, they knocked her down and checked her out. She was a 'bad nut', so they put her in the trash and did the same thing with her father. Then they turned to us.

"All right, all right." Fierce Fox grumbled. We headed over to the trash and jumped in. In there is another conveyor belt, which leads to a blazing fire. I shook some rubbish off my foot and faced Fierce Fox.

"Okay," I instructed. "Up on that platform is some whipped cream. Grab that, then pull a handle. A gumball will come out. Push that into a fan, then get another one. Put that in front of this door-shaped entrance. Then, turn the generator off." Fierce Fox nodded and headed off. I went underneath the conveyor belt and pushed a bin in front of a door-shaped hole. I grabbed a bottle of fizzy drink, like the ginger ale from Lunar Colony. Then I turned a generator off, a few moments before Fierce Fox did hers.

A squirrel began running around in a hamster wheel; the power turned back on. I leaped up to Fierce Fox and handed her the walnut. With my instruction, she coaxed the squirrel away from the wheel and everyone was saved. Oh, and Fierce Fox and I got to drink some fizzy drink and float up a pipe.

To say the Television Room is bright is probably an understatement. It's beaming with light- everything is white, glossy and shiny. There's a ginormous, camera-shaped object, that can transport people to television. Mr. Wonka was standing nearby it, smiling proudly.

"I shall now send a bar of my very best chocolate from one end of this room to the other- by television!" he exclaimed. The camera-object shot out a beam of light and sucked up the chocolate bar, sending it through TV. "Ha ha, there you have it!"

"Look at me!" Mike Teavee cried. "I'm going to be the first person in the world sent by television!" He ran up to the giant camera; it shot a beam and took him away.

"He's gone! He's gone!" Mike's mother exclaimed. That was our cue. Fierce Fox and I raced towards a large television, which looks like it's from the eighties. We fiddled with the antennas- yes, it's that old- until Mike appeared on screen. Mike's mom began freaking out. An Oompa Loompa appeared on the TV and asked Mike to follow her. Fierce Fox and I headed to the next room: the Bubblegum Room.

Mike was stuck in the middle of a metal circle. Clawed hands rotated around him. He was quite small, though probably a bit bigger than C.J and I when we were shrunk on Shrink Ray. Bubblegum is stashed all over the place and the floor is soft and pink. Violet Beauregarde probably would've had a major fangirl session.

Anyway, Fierce Fox and I, using the metal claws, stretched Mike back to his normal size. He was a little taller than before, but apart from that he was fine. He and his mom left after that. Fierce Fox and I left as well, heading to the Chocolate Room. It was much more pleasant now that we didn't have to rescue Augustus Gloop, and I really focused on the flowing, chocolate river and the tall, grassy mountains. Willy Wonka and Charlie were waiting for us.

"There you are!" Willy Wonka cried. "I must thank you both for your help. Now, the tour is almost over, and I have a surprise for all three of you! One of you will be given the keys to the factory. But first-" Suddenly, a chocolate ledge Charlie was standing on was carried away by the river.

"Help!" Charlie cried, floating helplessly away.

Mr. Wonka chuckled nervously. "Well, I was going to ask the three of you to convince me why you should get the keys, but it seems the choice is up to you two!"

"Shouldn't we help him?" Fierce Fox asked.

"It's up to you: rescue Charlie or take the keys to the factory." Willy Wonka replied. "All the same to me which you choose."

"There's no way I can run a factory!" I said, shaking my head. "I… won't be here all the time, anyway. We'll save Charlie."

"Go! Save him!" Willy Wonka shouted, pointing to the distance. I pulled out the canister of whipped cream that Fierce Fox retrieved and created platforms for Fierce Fox and I to jump on. They felt soft beneath my feet, like marshmallows. We leaped on a few and used some floating objects like patches of grass as well. I almost slipped and fell a few times; thank goodness Fierce Fox was there. Eventually we reached the end, which is a waterfall. Charlie was stuck near a rock, underneath a branch.

"Go on the branch," I told Fierce Fox. "And pick Charlie up with your crane." My friend nodded and leaped onto the branch. She reached down with the crane; Charlie grabbed on. She hauled him up. We all sighed in relief.

Willy Wonka grinned once we were safe. "Well done! You two chose the harder path, and shall be justly rewarded. Charlie, I give you the keys to the factory." Charlie seemed pleased with that, and accepted the keys. "Fierce Fox and Alice, you have much else to do in Poptropica. To you both, I give a lifetime supply of chocolate, and an open invitation to visit my factory whenever you'd like. Oh, and this medallion, of course." He handed us the medallion, and then it was time for the bonus quest.

An Oompa Loompa arrived and complained to Mr. Wonka about some people stealing his candy. When she was done, Willy Wonka had a frown on his face. He explained his rivals were stealing his candy, and needed Fierce Fox and I to stop them. Because, well, who else is going to? The glass elevator floated down from the sky, awaiting us. I sighed unhappily, but entered anyway.

The glass elevator took Fierce Fox and I into the grey, stormy sky. That didn't make me very happy- I don't want to see another storm for a long time. Some guy in a red plane was flying around, carrying Wonka's recipe. The battle setup reminded me of the one with Red Baron on Great Pumpkin. Fierce Fox was driving, thank goodness. We went in front of the red plane, releasing a candy trail that would gum up its engine.

We had to keep refilling the candy by collecting little clouds of candy that popped up here and there. Then we returned to pursuing Wonka's rivals, spewing them with candy trail. Finally, the red plane exploded, but only to be replaced by a blue plane. The process repeated all over again, and the blue plane exploded. Fierce Fox and I saved Willy Wonka's recipes, making Wonka himself very happy.

"You two saved the day again!" he cried. "I want to share with you a super-secret confection that I've been working on. Use it carefully." He handed us a packet of Heli-gum. That's when my vision turned white, and I returned to my world once again.


	36. Zomberry

I sighed and entered our clean kitchen. The desks are polished and white, carrying fruit bowls and the microwave. The sink is near the window that never opens. We were going to get that window fixed, but we never did for some reason. Oh well. There are plenty of other windows.

My mom was at the sink, washing the dishes. She seemed relaxed. Probably because I wasn't dead. I cleared my throat. She looked up.

"Hey, Mom," I fiddled with my fingers. "Um… when I was in… Poptropica… Louisa, before she… y'know… said something about Dad… that there was something I didn't know about him, and… he killed her mom on purpose. She… said he was a bad guy."

Mom tensed. "I… well… that's true, Alice. There… are things your father didn't tell you. But he didn't want you to know. Not until you were older, anyway."

"I'm older now," I said, looking up. "Was Dad a bad person?"

Mom started scrubbing a pot. Her fingers were shaking. "Um… er… well… I… he was… I guess you could call it, 'bad person'. But not when you were around! He wasn't bad around us! Never!"

"Mom…" I sighed. "Just tell me. I've gotta know."

Mom sighed deeply. "Your father was a criminal, Alice. He'd been to jail."

The thing I dislike most about Zomberry Island- apart from the zomberries- is how dark it is. Even the starting location is very dark. And bright at the same time, due to all the police cars. It's also similar to my world, and sort of hits 'home base', I guess you could say. Fierce Fox and I approached the police.

They told us that inside of the Fort Savini Tunnel- this giant, brick, garbage-filled tunnel- was blocking out zomberries, since there'd be an outbreak. The police were pretty cowardly, so their director sent Fierce Fox and I to deal with the zomberries. He gave us a flashlight and a clue notebook.

"This will be our only portable light source for a while," I said to Fierce Fox. "Even though it sucks."

"What happened?" Fierce Fox asked as we entered the dark Fort Savini Tunnel. We had to climb over a school bus to get in there. Luckily Poptropican physics made it easy.

"Well, the people of Eastman ate these blueberries and got infected." I explained. "Thanks to this smoothie company. Our job is to cure them and confront the head of the smoothie company. But we'll get to that later." My eyes widened as I leaped over a lorry. "Zomberry! Jump over it." We did just that. The zomberry boggled his crazy eyes at us, rubbing his purple skin. We went deeper into the tunnel, eventually coming to the end. However, zomberries were blocking it. So I picked up a car key, used it on a car, and scared the zomberries away with light. Yes, the zomberries were afraid of light.

We arrived on a street. It's just as dark as the rest of the island, with the occasional street light. Above our heads is an apartment being built. It has many layers, which have things on them such as bricks. Fierce Fox and I scaled to the top, finding a crane. With my instruction, Fierce Fox swapped around some platforms using the crane, so we could reach a lunchbox. In that lunchbox was a subway pass. I grabbed that. Then we headed to the subway.

The subway's like a normal subway. There are train tracks; signs on the walls; posters; security passes. What wasn't so normal was the zomberries. Fierce Fox and I avoided the purple creatures and went through security, using the pass. We came to the train platform which is quite dark. I grabbed a light hanging down from the ceiling, then we headed across the tracks. I bumped into a zomberry, feeling a strong sensation of fear. I ran backwards, away from the zomberries. Fierce Fox stared at me.

"It's what happens when you run into them," I said, shaking my head. "Come on." We headed forward and found the train. Fierce Fox moved a rock from its wheel; it moved forward. Then we exited the subway and headed to a different apartment. This one's actually built, but is crumbling. I fiddled with the fuse and switched some of the lights on. Then, via the roof, we entered the building.

Inside there is just… sad, really. Most doors are boarded up, and there's hardly any light (no surprise there). There are zomberries around, but Fierce Fox and I ignored them. We headed into Dr. Romero's apartment. It looks like no one's been home for a while, due to dust in the corners and the knocked-over lampshade. There's a frame of Albert Einstein and a desk full of scientific equipment.

"Dr. Romero is the scientist," I explained. "He was investigating the outbreak, but got turned into a zomberry himself. We'll meet him later. For now," I pointed to his desk. "Grab that sticky note on his laptop." Fierce Fox obliged. Then we entered Joe Puddy's apartment, which also appears to be abandoned. We scoured the cute little apartment, and picked up two things: a bolt cutter and a note about Joe's diet from his wife. Then we exited that apartment.

"So… has everyone been turned into zomberries?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Funny you should say that," I replied. "We're about to meet our first non-zombie." With that word, we headed to Gamer Guy's apartment.

"Hey, neighbours!" Gamer Guy called. "Come chill!" His apartment's messy and full of spilled food. A bright light was coming from his TV screen, as he was playing a game. Inside a trashcan, there was an empty bottle for something that looked like Mountain Dew; Fierce Fox grabbed the label off of it. We turned to Gamer Guy.

"How are you surviving?" Fierce Fox asked, which is a pretty sensible question.

"Nothing but cheese curls and Valley Rain soda. I am rocking hard, bud!" Gamer Guy answered. Not the best food to eat during an apocalypse. Oh well. I picked up a camera on the stereo system, then we left. We were finished with the apartments, so we exited the building. Fierce Fox followed me to Chinatown, which isn't any better. Most of the shops are covered in caution tape and the lights are turned off. There's a restaurant there called 'A Wok and a Hard Place'. It's connected to a karaoke bar via a line of lights.

Fierce Fox and I entered the karaoke bar. In there, the ground is shaking, and most of the lights aren't on. Though it looks like a cool place to party. Without all the zomberries, of course. However, there was another non-zomberry there: DJ Saturday Nite. She was stuck there, and we needed to rescue her. I shone the flashlight at the disco ball, clearing some zomberries out. Fierce Fox switched the disco lights on; the remaining zomberries left.

"You're a lifesaver!" DJ Saturday Nite cried. We asked her what to do next. "I don't know about you, but it's time for me to boogie. Peace out, zombie fighters!" She ran off.

"Looks like she left her laptop running." Fierce Fox said, gesturing to the DJ 's laptop.

"She also left a note," I said, grabbing such note for our clues. I faced the laptop. "And now we're going to find Doctor Romero's phone." I turned on the laptop, which is way faster than my own laptop. I clicked Find my Phone. Using a note from Dr. Romero's apartment, I signed in. Then, using the program, I tracked down Dr. Romero's phone. It was in an underground bunker. Let's get there.

After a short journey, we arrived at the underground bunker. The zomberries were chasing after us, so we quickly headed inside. Inside's like a laboratory full of building supplies. But we didn't focus on those. Fierce Fox followed me down, nearing some high-tech equipment. In a cage, there was a zomberry. But not just any zomberry.

"Dr. Romero," I said unsteadily. Fierce Fox raised her brow. I pointed to a red telephone near a screen. "Dial his number. It's here." I handed Fierce Fox the number; she raced over to the phone. She rung the number; Dr. Romero's phone buzzed and came out of his pocket. As well as a slip of paper. I picked up both, shaking my head sympathetically at Dr. Romero.

"What now?" Fierce Fox asked.

"We're solving the mystery, though I already know the answer," I replied. "We just gotta do what the island wants." So, using a table, we 'solved' the mystery. Like I expected, blueberries were the cause of the outbreak.

"We've got to make a cure now, right?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Spot on." I replied. The coffee machine (yes, there's a coffee machine) went off, and a cup of coffee was made for us. I grabbed it.

"Uh… Alice…" Fierce Fox spoke up. I heard a moan from nearby us. A bunch of zomberries were there, waving their arms around.

"Where'd they come from!?" I asked. I gulped. "Come on, let's get out of here!" We raced out of the laboratory, the zomberries on our tails. Fierce Fox kept a grip on my arm, so I wouldn't slack behind. We managed to escape the bunker, locking the door behind us. I thought I saw something else, too, but I wasn't sure.

"Was that meant to happen?" Fierce Fox asked, taking a deep breath.

"No," I said, with fear. "No it wasn't." Oh no, I thought. Willy Wonka was right. My troubles aren't over after all.

We stood in front of a crate that said 'DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2000'. Little bit ahead of 2000, I thought. We were in the wharf, and zomberries were watching us. So, breaking the crate's entrance with bolt cutters, we headed inside. We found it was stuffed: food, movies, posters, CDs. And a non-zomberry.

"I thought the end of the world would come when machines became self-aware," the non-zomberry said. "But zombies? Didn't see that coming."

"How do you survive in here?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Canned food, bottled water, and the companionship of a shadow puppet I call 'Hombre Umbra'." the guy answered.

"That sounds excruciating." Fierce Fox commented. I couldn't help but agree.

"I'll be honest," the guy replied. "I'd do just about anything for a fresh cup of coffee right now."

"Well, get your money out," I replied, holding out the coffee cup. "'Cause we've got a deal."

As well as helping us with some lights, the guy gave us a keycard to the shipyard's computer network. The guy's pretty cool. His light directed us up some crates (there's a lot of crates), and scared off some zomberries. We got to the top, where there's a crane that lifts crates. Using the crane, we picked up a crate of blueberries. It took a little work, since we had to dodge some things, but we pulled through in the end.

Fierce Fox and I jumped down to the crate and headed inside. It was full of blueberries, blueberry juice, and a giant zomberry. Blueberry juice drizzles down his chin and stains his clothing. Fierce Fox dealt with him, while I snatched some blueberries. Using the camera, I took a flash picture, and the zomberry stopped attacking us. He slowly left the crate; we followed him.

We returned to the underground bunker. Or at least the door. There were zomberries in there, and we couldn't touch them.

"Maybe we can coax them out?" Fierce Fox suggested.

"Since when are you the smart one?" I asked, grinning. I frowned. "But how are we going to coax them out?" I gasped. "Hey, we can use us! The zomberries chase after us!" Fierce Fox nodded at that. We opened the sealed bunker door. I could already hear the zomberries moaning. I nodded at Fierce Fox.

"Hey, zomberries!" she taunted. "Up here!" The zomberries approached us, boggling their eyes. We took a few steps back; the zomberries followed. Then, once we'd got them quite a distance away, we rushed back into the bunker. We slammed the door shut.

"The relief," I sighed, feeling my chest deflate in such feeling. "Come on, Fierce Fox." We headed down to Dr. Romero. Next to him is a machine that can make the zomberry cure. We had to do an extremely complicated process to create the cure, it took- just kidding. We had to spin a wheel around. Wow...

Anyway, we created the cure and placed it in a medical gun. The first victim to be cured of their suffering was Dr. Romero. We blasted the antidote at him; he returned to normal.

"You did it!" he cried. "But to make a big enough dose to cure the entire population, we need to make more. Let's get to work!"

"Did you hear that?!" Fierce Fox asked. There was a lot of banging near the door. Well, there already was, but it was getting louder.

"They're coming!" Dr. Romero cried. "Quick! Board up that doorway!"

"I'll deal with them." Fierce Fox said. She raced off to deal with the zomberries. I stared at the cure and sighed. I turned the wheel around, while Dr. Romero stood there and shouted at me to go faster. As 'useful' as that was, Dr. Romero, you could've, uh, at least helped me turn the thing.

"There's too many!" Fierce Fox called from above. "I can't deal with them all!"

"It's okay!" I replied. "I've got the antidote!"

"Quick! Go up and use it!" Dr. Romero cried. He became even more helpful and locked himself in a cage. "I'm just going to hang out in here. You can handle it!" I sighed and shook my head and leaped up to help Fierce Fox. She was sitting on the floor, knocked out. Her skin was turning purple, which sent shivers up my spine. So I faced the zomberries with my antidote, and started firing.

There were quite a lot of zomberries, and my aim wasn't great. I fired all over the place- thankfully I had unlimited antidote. Though I kind of wished Fierce Fox was there. She would've done better. I sighed and continued firing, until roughly twenty or so people were cured. Apparently that's the entire population of Eastman. There's probably more people in my class.

Everyone was cured in the end, including Joe Puddy, Gamer Guy (who got infected- he was annoyed about it ending since he now had to a productive member of society), and a few others. This guy called Samuel Brains came forward. He was special because he was responsible for the outbreak: he owned Berry Delicious Smoothies. Fierce Fox realized this and lashed out at him. Samuel grinned.

"And as an apology," he retaliated. "I'd like to give you all these gift certificates for free smoothies! On the house!"

"Why, I ought to…" Joe Puddy grumbled. However, Samuel left before anyone could do anything.

"Brains!" Gamer Guy cried. He and Joe raced after Samuel.

"Hey, look, that Brains guy dropped something." Dr. Romero said. He picked it up; it was the medallion. And then it was time for the bonus quest. We had to disinfect all these pumps, since they'd been infected by the zomberry syndrome. These zombie-rats kidnapped the crate guy and took him away. So Fierce Fox and I headed down to the sewers, where the zomberry liquid had infected the pipes.

After heading through the dark tunnels that are the sewers, we inserted some antidote into the pipes. The crate guy as a zomberry came to attack, but we shooed him away with steam from a vault. We had to repeat this thrice, until all the pipes were back to normal. The crate guy came and thanked us, and that was the end of the island. But not the end of my troubles, apparently. I needed to find out who'd sent those zomberries, and what they were planning.


	37. Night Watch

"...and he didn't want you to be like him. He wanted you to be happy. That's why… we kept it hidden. I… think at your school, the knowledge of your father's criminal activity spread, and… that's why you were bullied. Over time, it became about your leg." Mom explained, biting her lip.

"But…" I frowned. "Did Dad intentionally… get into that car crash with Louisa's mom?"

"No," Mom replied, sighing. "But he and Louisa's mom had… a rough history. They had a big fight on Halloween, which is why your dad hates it. But it's only a coincidence they crashed into each other. Same with you."

I looked away, refusing to let tears build. I remember that day like the back of my hand. Dad and I were driving to school, and turned at a light. Then… this car came out of nowhere. There was a lot of darkness... then I woke up in hospital. I didn't want to look at myself. It was too horrible. And I didn't even realize Dad was gone… and when I did…

I don't want to remember that, either. It hurts more than my leg.

"What's this new threat?" Fierce Fox asked as we arrived on Night Watch island. "We've had all the Zeus stuff. Is it him again?"

"Athena said Zeus has been defeated, so I don't think so," I replied, shaking my head. It was evening; pink and orange splashed across the sky. There's a large mall called the Twin Palms Mall, which is a little reference to Back to the Future. I sighed. "I don't know what it is. Louisa, Zeus, and the four villains are gone. There's a few more villains coming up, like MVB and Ringmaster Raven. But who knows? Let's just… stay watch, I guess."

"Alright." Fierce Fox nodded as we arrived at a carpark. We found a former night watchman named Gus, who was fired by the mall staff. I felt a little bad for him. We talked to the owner of the Print Fax shop (and also the villain, spoilers), and then the owner of the sports shop. He wanted us to become night guards to watch over his shop. So that's what we did.

We headed over to this door on the side of the mall. The manager peeked through via an eye hole.

"Are you two here for the night watchman job?" she asked.

"Yeah." Fierce Fox replied nonchalantly.

"Hmm, not much enthusiasm," the manager sighed. "And two people. But… that can work. And this position needs to be filled. Come inside." We entered the little office. The slightly torn wallpaper holds a large screen, which shows the different shops on camera. There's also a desk, which sits under the screen. The manager faced us. "I had to let the last guy go because he was getting spooked, seeing and hearing things that weren't there. Before I can hire you two, I need to see if you're up for the job. Follow me." She walked out.

"Will this be hard?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

I pouted. "Not for you." We followed the manager to the food court of the mall. There's a water fountain in the center and a few different restaurants. It's two levels, connected by escalators. The manager made Fierce Fox and I spot the differences between two pictures. It wasn't too hard, so we passed it quickly.

"Not bad," the manager said, nodding. "Now let's see if you can handle some real-life situations." She revealed two motorized scooters. "You're going to patrol different parts of the mall." She looked at Fierce Fox. "You'll go right, and your friend will go left. I'll keep an eye on both of you. I've set up some training robots to practice with."

Fierce Fox and I climbed onto the scooters. I told my friend what to do, then we went our separate ways. Robot dummies were loitering, so I told them off. A robot was running up an escalator, so I scolded it. It was pulled down the escalator and crushed at the bottom.

"You both had the same problem," the manager sighed, fiddling with her glasses. "Hmph. I'll clean this mess up." Then a robot thief raced past, carrying a purse. Fierce Fox was chasing after it, her fists gripped on the accelerator. I joined the chase. We cornered the robber on an escalator. It was turned to metal pieces like the other robot.

"Teamwork!" I whispered to Fierce Fox. The manager gave us the job and told us to return to the security office. So we did. As soon as we arrived, there was an alert for a store called MacGuffin's. We headed to that store, which is on the third level of the right side. The mall is divided into three parts: the food court, and the right and left side. Fierce Fox and I got to MacGuffin's, which is a modern-style store that sells various inventions, like a pocket-sized porta-potty and metal umbrellas.

The thick, brown massage chair was vibrating. In there was Gus' phone. We answered the ringing phone and spoke to Gus. He was relieved we found his phone and recommended we hold onto it. I don't think I'd be okay with strangers looking at my phone, but whatever. Gus explained how to use it and told us to be wary of thieves. There was an app that could show security footage of all the stores. In a store called Slugger's- the sport store- there was a disturbance. We called the sport shop owner.

"Has there been a break in?!" he cried. "Quick, go to the shop and see if my baby is safe. It's the T206 Honus Wagner, the most valuable baseball card in the world. I keep it in a safe behind the statue. The combination is 6723." With that intention, we arrived at Slugger's. It's a typical sports shop: posters on the walls; 'old rags' (I know nothing about sport); medals; baseball bats. Behind a statue of a famous baseball player, there was a safe. Inside that safe was the world's most valuable baseball card.

"Safe and sound," I said to Fierce Fox. "For now."

"For now?" Fierce Fox repeated, giving me a look. I chuckled and closed the safe. The sport shop owner called; we assured him it was okay. But our troubles weren't over yet. A short time later, the phone buzzed. There was an alert in Giuseppe's Toys (really cool store, by the way). For some reason, the lights were on. Fierce Fox and I investigated this, and discovered a toy robot was the source of the problem. We grabbed that and a toy bird.

"Get used to running around." I told Fierce Fox. "This island's got a lot of that." Just as I said that, we got another alert. This time, it was in the Sizzle Tanning Salon. I winked at Fierce Fox. "How about you cover this one?" She shrugged and went to the tanning salon, while I waited in the food court. Fierce Fox returned with a 'the heck?' look on her face. I laughed. The phone went off again, this time for Good Deals Electronics. We viewed it on the phone, but the camera mysteriously switched off.

Fierce Fox and I headed over to Good Deals Electronics. I took a deep breath as we stood in front of the electronics store. TVs and computers stare at us.

"Go inside," I instructed. "And watch the TV in there. I'll… be out here." Fierce Fox nodded and entered the store. I hid behind the door, sweat building in my palms. A robber walked past, carrying a bag of money. I jumped out at him. "I know who you are!" He gasped and ran off. I called out to Fierce Fox, and we chased after him. My vision was turning blurry from fear, but I didn't care. The robber was stealthy, but so was Fierce Fox. She almost flew down escalators.

"It'll take more than that!" the robber shouted. He leaped up the water fountain, water spraying everywhere. Fierce Fox caught up to him, hands on hips. He shoved her off; she landed in the water surrounding the fountain. The robber escaped after that, disappearing into a vent. I headed over to Fierce Fox and pulled her out of the spewing water. She coughed some up.

"Whoa!" Gus cried from the phone. "Well, at least we know we're up against someone. I reckon you'd better find a way to stop him."

"You bet on it." I replied, patting Fierce Fox's shoulder. "I know he's after the baseball card. He's going to try and distract us so he can get it. He'll use a robot thief to do that. But… I know what he's doing. We need to confront him."

"How will we do that?" Fierce Fox asked.

I bit my lip. "Um… I don't know. Maybe we should get the scooters and blow torch and go from there."

"Blow torch?" Fierce Fox questioned.

"Oh yeah," I said, tapping my chin. "There's a blowtorch in the manager's office with the scooters."

"Sounds good." Fierce Fox commented, smiling.

"I agree," Gus said from the phone. He sounded a bit suspicious. "But… how do you know all this?"

"Uh…" I bit my lip. "I saw it on the plans in the security office." I turned to Fierce Fox. "Let's get that blowtorch and those scooters."

We arrived at the manager's office, which is on the top floor of the food court. I'd also snagged two super chargers from MacGuffin's, because we'd need them to charge the scooters. Inside the manager's office, there's a glass door, which the scooters were behind. There's also a portrait on the wall, which is a picture of a robot dummy. Fierce Fox and I, passing the access panel, got the scooters. Behind the portrait was the blowtorch, which we also grabbed. We charged the scooters using the super chargers, and were ready to go.

However, outside, there was a robot dummy riding on a golf cart, up and down the escalators. I told Fierce Fox to ignore it, and we went to Slugger's. The robber wasn't there. We checked behind the statue. The card was gone.

"We've gotta get to Print Fax," I told Fierce Fox. She nodded. We burst out of the shop, zooming on our scooters. I never imagined riding on a scooter would be so enthralling. We raced over to Print Fax, the scooters whirring. Print Fax is a clean and modern store, full of printers, paper and photos. Sure enough, the thief was in there, photocopying the expensive card.

"Stop right there!" Fierce Fox commanded. The robber glared at us through his mask.

"Never!" he shouted. "I know every inch of this mall and its systems! You'll never catch me!"

"I know who you are… Preston Williams." I replied, tightening my fingers around the accelerators. Preston's glare intensified.

"I've seen you before," he hissed. "You're… that hero. Well, that doesn't mean you and your little friend can stop me!" He jumped into the air and rammed his fist into a vent. He disappeared up such vent.

"Come on!" I cried. I slammed my hand onto the accelerator, Fierce Fox copying. We raced over to the new store, which is a building covered in newspapers, saying 'COMING SOON'. A padlock covered the door. I brought out the blowtorch and melted it away. Fierce Fox and I broke in.

"He's not here," Fierce Fox said, observing the dark interior of the new store. It's covered in blueprints, broken lights, and various tools. "Where is he?"

"Up this way." I replied, climbing a yellow ladder. Fierce Fox followed. We got to the vents, which are sort of like the ones on 24 Carrot. Except brighter and dustier. However, both are very windy. I burnt away a wall of red using the blowtorch, then Fierce Fox and I proceeded. We had to do this a few times, until we reached the middle of the vent system. Preston was there. He narrowed his eyes.

"So you got into the vent," he said. He snorted. "But that doesn't mean you'll catch me!" Preston raced off. We chased after him, destroying more red walls on the way. Preston took us to a place where red walls were above our heads, and in front of us are cogs. I broke one of the walls, creating a safe platform above the cogs. Then we were back at the middle area.

"This way!" I cried. We jumped into another vent. I destroyed more walls. We came to a split section of vents. Preston had gone up one and blocked it with crates. So Fierce Fox and I used another way to get to him.

"Gotcha, you're trapped now!" Fierce Fox yelled at Preston.

"Not quite!" Preston yelled back. He headed down another vent, returning to the main area. However, since it was a long fall, he was knocked out- and dropped the Honus Wagner card. Fierce Fox picked it up, just as I landed on top of her. She gave me an annoyed look. I laughed casually.

"Hey, gave that back!" Preston snapped, when he noticed Fierce Fox had taken the card. "I stole it fair and square!" He ran into us, knocking all three of us out the vent. We landed in the water fountain; water drenched my skin. Well, not really. Poptropican physics, people. Anyway, the card slipped out of Fierce Fox's inventory. Preston picked it up with a malicious grin on his face. "I'm going to sell this for millions!"

Suddenly, a snake- Eddie the coral snake, who's an escapee snake- popped out of the blue. Preston got scared and fell off the waterfall. He landed on the ground, where the police, Gus and the sport shop owner were waiting.

"I called the real cops!" Gus told us. "They'll take it from here." Preston's identity was revealed and the police took him away.

"His plan was to replace my most valuable card with a copy and hope I never noticed! But you two caught him just in time!" the sport shop owner thanked us. "I can't give you my card, but here's a token of my appreciation!" He handed us the island medallion. I high-fived Fierce Fox. Then it was time for the bonus quest. It turned out a training robot had gone haywire and stolen the sport shop owner's collectible cards. Our job was to retrieve them.

The first card was in Jolly's gift shop, a joke store. It was in a spray can. Card #2 was in Crawl Mart, the pet store. It was in the piranha tank, which wasn't much fun to retrieve. Card #3 was in the InTheNow! shop, hidden in a speaker. Card #4 was in the sports center- a mini gym. At the back there's a place where you can hit baseballs. Fierce Fox and I did that: eventually a ball flew up to a shelf and knocked down card #4.

Card #5 was above the water fountain, on these hanging stars. Fierce Fox, with her athleticism, grabbed it. Card #6 was in some pizza dough at the pizza store. I squeezed the dough and got the card. Card #7 was in the tanning salon. Fierce Fox didn't want to go in there, so I did. It was under a tanning bed; I picked it up. Card #8 was in Slumbertown, a really awesome mattress store. A card was hidden under a mattress; I got it.

And, finally, card #9. That one took a while for me to find originally, and I had to use a YouTube walkthrough. It's outside, on top of the roof. Curse you, island. Fierce Fox and I gave the cards back to the sport shop owner, and received a costume. White consumed my vision.


	38. Back Lot

THIRD PERSON

He was at last defeated. Poptropica was safe. He and his acquaintance had cursed the prophesied hero and her Poptropican, even manipulating magic on Twisted Thicket in an attempt to make Fierce Fox betray Alice out of jealousy. But now he was defeated, and his acquaintance was gone. The chaos was over. Or was it? There were some unanswered questions. For one, who had started the earthquake on Nabooti Island?

Athena knew it wasn't Hades, and Zeus did not wield such power. Poseidon wasn't to blame, either. So who had done it? In fact, who had cursed the zomberries on Zomberry Island to chase Alice? It wasn't godly power, so who had done it? Maybe it was the voice. Or something else. Athena knew it had been a long time since a new island had appeared. Perhaps the voice had been doing something else. But what? Even a goddess like herself didn't have the answer.

Athena knew this was a strange timeline. There were many different timelines and alternate universes, with different Poptropicans as the heroes. They were connected through the common rooms. And the islands followed the same path in every universe, no matter what hero. But this universe was different, due to Alice's arrival. If Alice could affect it, could she affect others? Athena tapped her chin. Zeus' threat had only affected their universe- and possibly others- but if a higher power got to Alice or another human… it could affect every timeline.

The goddess shivered. She couldn't make such rash judgments. Not yet, anyway. There was still time.

ALICE

"Look, celebrities!" a guy holding a camera cried as we landed on Back Lot Island. He gasped. "Is that the prophesied hero?!"

"Let's go." I whispered. Fierce Fox and I dashed past the people and entered a green talent agency. It has slightly crumbling, pale walls, and large fans blowing down air. People are queued up behind a desk. Fierce Fox and I approached the woman behind the desk, who's a former actress. But we weren't supposed to know that yet.

"You're… you're a natural!" the woman exclaimed, eyeing Fierce Fox. "You've got the look of a star!" She turned to me. "And you're the prophesied hero! So well known around here. I bet you could be a great star, too." Yeah, right, I thought.

"Us?" Fierce Fox asked. "Stars?"

"Just pay me a thousand dollars each for your set-up fee and we'll get started." the woman replied.

"We don't have a thousand dollars!" Fierce Fox cried, eyes wide.

"Hmm," the woman said, tapping her chin. "If it's money you need, I heard Harvey Scoops is looking for help with his gossip rag." So that's what we did. We headed out to the sunset-lit street, puffy clouds dancing in the sky. The street- Sunrise street- looks like it came straight out of Hollywood, including this giant, Chinese-themed theater.

Fierce Fox and I spoke to Harvey Scoops, who was standing outside the gates of the Grand Majestic studios. He gave us an old camera that needed film. If you don't know what film is… look it up. Fierce Fox and I got some film, and climbed up this large, wooden, greenish-blue building, near the studio. We stood on a ledge, when suddenly there was an earthquake. We fell off the ledge and landed in the studio.

"Arf! Arf!" a dog barked nearby us. We'd landed on a set that looks like it came from a fairy-tale. There are butterflies hovering around, and a fairy-tale castle.

"I don't think we're in Poptropica anymore!" Fierce Fox cried, which is a reference to the Wizard of Oz.

"Nope, we're still here." I replied, getting up. Fierce Fox followed me over to Soundstage 1. It's a big, metal shed, with many props standing around outside. An organized-looking woman- called Sofia- was also there.

"Uh oh!" she cried. "Are you two from studio security?" We told her we weren't. She told us that a movie was being made in Soundstage 1, and we had to stay out of the way. So we did the exact opposite and barged right in. We interrupted a movie scene, where an actor named Kirk Strayer was creeping down some stairs.

"Hey!" he grumbled, seeing us. "Watch the light! Why are you trashing my scene?"

"Say what?" Fierce Fox asked. Kirk stormed off in a fit of rage.

"Kirk, please!" the director- Carson Wills- cried. He chased after Kirk. I shrugged at Fierce Fox; we followed them. Sofia was outside, appearing frantic.

"We're going to blow our schedule if we can't get Kirk back in here," she said worriedly. She has neat, brown hair tied up in a ponytail, and glasses sitting on her nose. She also carries a clipboard. "I've got a ton to do here- can you two go try to get him out of his trailer? You can take that cart."

"On it." I replied. Fierce Fox and I climbed into a small, blue golf cart. Remember Cryptids Island when we drove that jeep? Well, the cart wasn't much better. We skidded all over the place, eventually arriving at Kirk's dirty, purple trailer. The director was outside. He told us to fix the problem.

Fierce Fox and I spoke to Kirk, who refused to leave his trailer until he got a coffee. Well, I can understand that. Mom likes coffee a lot, being a former barista and all. So Fierce Fox and I, going to different coffee shops, made the exact coffee Kirk ordered. We all returned to Soundstage 1. But our job wasn't over yet.

"Sorry, union rules," the camera guy said. "I can't work another minute today." He exited.

"You two!" Carson yelled, looking at us. "Think you can handle a camera?"

"I've used cameras before," I replied. "Like my mom's old one. Yeah, let's do this." I turned to Fierce Fox. "All we have to do is keep Kirk in the center of the screen. It'll be okay." So we jumped up to the camera, which shines down on the grey set. It's supposed to be a scary short film, after all. I focused the camera on Kirk, as he leaped down staircases and was spooked by special effects. Not as good as modern ones, but oh well.

We finished recording Kirk, then headed over to Soundstage 2 via the golf cart. It's a bit different in there. There's a green prop hill, and a hot air balloon. As well as the dark walls you'd expect to see in a soundstage. Sofia was also there, appearing frantic as usual.

"Where is Goldie with the script?" she demanded. "We told him it was due yesterday! He's probably in his usual spot, head in the clouds. Find Goldie and get that script!"

"I know where he is," I told Fierce Fox. "Come on." We went back to Soundstage 1. Goldie was on the roof- his head was literally in the clouds. Unfortunately, when we reached him, the script blew away in the wind and scattered all over Sunrise street. So Fierce Fox and I headed over to Sunrise street and searched for the missing script. A little while later, we found the entire script, and returned to Soundstage 2.

"Let's put the script in correct order," I said. "It'll make life easier." With that word, we put the script in the correct order. Then we gave it to Sofia, who was contented. But the problems still weren't over.

"Our lead actress never showed up," Sofia explained. "We need a Lacey Williams type. Get us someone like her!" So guess what folks? We had to return to good old Sunrise street. From there, we went to the Talent Agency. Remember how I said the woman who runs it is an actress? Well…

"Lacey Williams, at your service!" the woman said, jumping out of her chair. "This Talent Agency thing was just a safety net. I'll see you two at the studio!"

"There you go." I said, shrugging.

I slipped on a navigator costume. I was entirely covered, so you couldn't recognize me at all. A bandit face mask was over my mouth, and goggles were plastered over my eyes. Brown, leather clothing covered my body, and I was wearing a white scarf instead of my normal grey scarf. I stood on the green, prop hill, facing Lacey Williams, who was also dressed up. Only her face was exposed. Still more than me.

"Quiet on set!" Carson cried, Fierce Fox and Sofia next to him. "Ready… action!" Filming started.

"This is it, my friend," Lacey said dramatically. "It is time for us to say goodbye."

I pictured the script in my head. "But-"

"I know what you're thinking," Lacey replied. "You can't come with me!"

I spread my arms above my head. "But we've come so far! You can't leave me behind now!" I'm not much of an actress. Well, not after the leg incident anyway. I lost too much of my confidence to ever think about pursuing a career like that.

"I'm sorry," Lacey said, shaking her head. "But the journey from here is too dangerous!"

"Take this to remember me by." I said. I gave her a metal compass.

"What is it?" Lacey asked, observing the object.

"It's my compass," I answered, smiling. "For when you're lost in the stormy skies."

"Thank you, my friend." Lacey said, saluting. A hot-air balloon lowered from the sky; she climbed in.

"Safe journeys!" I cried melodramatically. "I'll never forget you!"

"So long!" Lacey replied. The balloon floated into the sky, appearing in the background as a prop. It was struck down by some fake lightning.

"Noooo!" I shouted. I looked at the camera. "Guess I shouldn't have given her that metal compass in a lightning storm."

"Print it! That's a wrap!" Carson cried. I sighed. You bet.

Fierce Fox and I entered Soundstage 3. There's a moving screen there which looks like it came from Wild West Island. There's also a giant fan, and a bin full of buffalo plushies. Our old pal Sofia was waiting by the side, still looking stressed.

"The set-builder's a no-show," she told us. "Sift through that pile of old old props over there and try to get a prop train together." We headed over to a bin that was stuffed with pieces of wood. We fiddled with the wood and made a train shape. We had to do this three times to make the train.

"It doesn't look like a train at all!" Fierce Fox proclaimed, when we finished. She was right. It looked more like a Lego project.

"Nothing a fresh coat of paint can't fix." Sofia retorted. She waved her paintbrush. The train suddenly looked amazing, and even moved. I wish I had a paintbrush like that. "See? Movie magic. But we're not done yet. Grab the hats from upstairs and try to find the right actors for the parts. There are plenty of out-of-work actors milling around Sunrise Street." So off we went. We managed to scrounge up two actors: Willy Bingleman and another guy I don't know the name of. Willy was the bad guy, and the other guy was the good guy.

Sofia turned to us. "We need you two to be the stunt coordinators. When we call for an effect, you set it off!" Fierce Fox and I faced the moving picture. The good guy was standing in front of it.

"And… action!" Carson called. The good guy started running. "We need more buffalo!" Fierce Fox slammed her fist on the buffalo button. A plushie buffalo charged for the good guy; he jumped over it. "Cue the tornado!" A press of the button with the tornado on it summoned a fake tornado. "Cue the villain!" I pressed the button with a black hat. Willy was riding on a fake horse. The good guy tried to catch him, but missed. This process repeated a few times, until the good guy caught the bad guy.

The crew thanked us for our help, then we headed over to Soundstage 4 (don't worry, this is the last one before post-production). This one has a city-themed set, which reaches the roof. Kirk and Carson were standing there.

"Okay, Kirk go ahead and suit up." Carson ordered. Kirk went to the change rooms. He returned a short time later, wearing a gorilla costume.

"It's demeaning!" he exclaimed. "I won't do it!" He returned to the change rooms and chucked the costume off. It landed nearby us. Carson sighed deeply.

"Does he need another coffee?" Fierce Fox asked.

Carson frowned. "I've had it up to here with his primadonna hijinks! You think you're up for the role of a lifetime?"

I patted Fierce Fox's shoulder. "Go for it."

"Sure!" Fierce Fox replied brightly. She slipped on the gorilla costume, completely unrecognizable. She looked more like King Kong than herself (well, obviously). Swiftly, she leaped over to the city-themed set, then turned to me. I told her what to do; she nodded. I watched her athletically scale the fake, yet imposing structures, grabbing balloons. Fake planes and guns fired at her, damaging her life. But she kept going.

Eventually, Fierce Fox reached the top and got the red balloon that Lacey was holding. Then she fell back down, completing the scene.

"Great!" Carson congratulated us. "All the scenes are shot! Now head over to post-production!" Naturally, we did that. Post-production is a stone-built, neat building, with shiny pink windows. Inside there are different stations where editing takes place: film editing and sound editing. I was going to do film editing, and Fierce Fox would do sound editing.

Film editing is a bit different from… modern film editing. I had to cut pieces of film from… well, film, that the movie was on. The film I had to cut off had errors on them, like on one there was a microphone above my head. If you know what film looks like, this will make more sense to you. Anyway, using a razor, I sliced off parts of the film. It was pretty easy.

"Now, to add sound." Carson said, facing Fierce Fox.

"Didn't we record the sound when we were filming?" Fierce Fox asked.

"I forget, you are a neophyte," Carson replied, sighing. Neophyte means newbie- I googled it. "No, we will add most of the audio effects now, so that we can make them sound exactly as we desire."

"I'll help, don't worry." I whispered, nodding at my Poptropican. She shrugged. We made our way over to the sound department. We had to use the appropriate sound effects at the right times. I called out when; Fierce Fox triggered the sound effect. We missed a few times, but we made it. We got the complete movie onto a film.

"My masterpiece, finished at last," Carson admired the film. "Will you take this film to the theater? I have… other business to attend to."

"Come on." I told Fierce Fox.

We arrived at the chinese-style theater. There are some posters on it that are references to movies, like the Hobbit. Sofia was standing there too.

"He's a strange guy," I said, like we'd been talking for a while. But you should expect that. "What's his deal?"

"Watch the movie and you may understand." Sofia replied. I shrugged at Fierce Fox, then we entered the dark theater. There were a lot of people in there, including some actors and civilians that could be spoken to. I raced up to the top section, and put the film in the projector. The movie started.

It showed all the scenes we'd recorded in the soundstages, except in HD. Well, mostly. Anyway, the movie was cool... I guess, but definitely not the best movie I've ever seen. Everyone seemed to enjoy it quite a lot, though. Fierce Fox seemed pretty confused as to why the movie had made Carson Wills so strange. Even I was a little perplexed.

"That didn't make a lick of sense." Fierce Fox expressed, once we were outside.

"Genius, absolutely genius!" somebody cried.

"Carson Wills is back!" somebody else cried.

"If only I had thumbs to give this movie!" another person agreed. I giggled into my hand.

"You see?" Sofia asked as we approached her. "It was him. He had so much early success, but he lost his imagination and went after the money. It turned him into a monster."

"So this movie was his way back home, huh?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Yes," Sofia nodded. "And I think it may have been his swansong. He left for Cannes just before the screening. But he told me to give you this." She handed us the medallion. Then it was time for the bonus quest. "Shoot! I think I left the camera running on Soundstage 1. Would you go shut it off?" We nodded and headed over to do so. However, when we got to such soundstage, something happened.

"Hold it right there!" two voices called. They belonged to two women wearing fancy clothing.

"Who are you?" Fierce Fox asked.

"We're the Warren sisters, the owners of Grand Majestic Studios!" one of the women answered. "And you two are trespassing on our property."

"Stealing from us!" the other added.

Fierce Fox began, "We weren't-"

"We've caught you red-handed." the first one growled.

"You two stay right where you are," the second continued. "Security will be here in a moment to arrest you."

"You have to catch us first!" Fierce Fox cried, grabbing my arm. She pulled me out of the soundstage and onto the golf cart. We went on a wild ride. Fierce Fox proved she had some serious driving skills- well, not surprisingly- when we skidded all over the joint. I really began to regret buying membership. Regardless, security chased us around, but Fierce Fox kept ahead of them. She grabbed some energy balls laying around, to improve our life.

When the chaotic mess that is the bonus quest was finally finished, I almost passed out. The Warren sisters complemented Fierce Fox on her driving skills, so at least she was happy. Or she was laughing at me. You decide.


	39. Virus Hunter

"So… Louisa's dead?" Marcus asked. He frowned. "I… don't know how to react to that."

Pain pulled at my heartstrings. I felt partly responsible for Lousia's death. I could've saved her if I tried harder. But no. I cowardered out… just like always. I looked away, spotting Chrissi's gang. Chrissi wasn't with them. They were eating their lunch slowly, like every bite hurt them. They'd been like this the past few days. Well, honestly, everyone in the school was shocked. The news of Lousia's passing had disturbed everyone. It was just so… unexpected.

The lie was that she had a mental disorder, ran away from home and starved herself to death, somehow losing her body in the process. It was a lie, but still sent chills up my spine. Lousia's aunt- who she'd been living with- had mentioned she'd 'disappeared for a week or two', and before that she was 'acting a bit strange'. But now she was gone. Only Marcus, Chrissi, her gang, Mom and me knew the truth. And none of us wanted to tell.

The police still wanted to investigate. They'd asked everyone a few questions, especially me and Chrissi's gang. Chrissi herself had been having therapy. Even though she'd been bullying me for so long, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I'd had therapy. It's not fun.

"No one does, Marcus," I replied, sighing deeply. "No one does."

Virus Hunter Island doesn't exactly look like the place you'd expect to see a pandemic. It's a typical town, with brick buildings, a video store (well, you don't see those too often these days), a falafel restaurant, a fitness centre, an office called Globochem, and the least suspicious of all (not), the 'Pizza Delivery Company'. They drove past Fierce Fox and I in a grey van.

"This way," I told Fierce Fox. She followed me along the cement path, arriving at the fitness centre. It's called Waist Not Fitness Centre. It's your typical fitness centre: swimming pools, treadmills, so on. Fierce Fox and I approached a light blue resistance band, near this pool. Oh, the gym was having an open day, so anyone could come in. Anyway, Fierce Fox broke the resistance band. We got kicked out, taking the resistance band with us.

My friend followed me up a tree that's next to a brick apartment. We stood on a nest, peering at the roof of the apartment. There's a hook on the side. I slung the resistance band onto the hook; we climbed up. On the roof is this crazy guy who reports for a radio. He was going on about the government- these 'agents' of the 'new world order'- going 'underground' and working on a project of some sort. Thankfully I knew all about such project.

We questioned the guy. After a bit, he told us,

"Maybe we can help each other out. You get me proof that the agents of the new world order have set up shop here, and I'll get you inside. I see a mysterious van parked behind that condo. Check it out." The van belonged to the 'Pizza Delivery Company', which isn't actually called that, notice the quotations. Fierce Fox, with my instruction, checked the van out. She received a bag full of paper scraps. We sorted out the scraps, creating a blueprint for a secret laboratory.

"There we go." I said. I gave the map to the guy.

"So they're using the PDC as a front, eh? That helps us. I've got every phony government credential in the book." the guy said. He handed us two yellow phony IDs for the PDC.

"Thanks," I said. I nodded at Fierce Fox. "Come on." We jumped off the roof and landed on Main Street. We walked right, heading to the video store. I sighed. "So… remember Dr. Harold on Game Show Island? The guy that gave me that plane?"

"Yeah?" Fierce Fox asked. "What about him?"

"Well, he promised me to deliver this to his sister," I said, holding out Dr. Harold's letter. "Who's in the PDC."

"So… where is this PDC?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"In here." I answered, pointing to the green video shop. It's pretty old and run down. The green wallpaper's fading, and the shelves of DVDs have cobwebs. Fierce Fox and I showed the employee our ID badges.

"Oh! I didn't realize you two were PDC," he said. "I thought you were weirdos who still owned a VCR. Come on in." He led us to this door with a sign saying 'Staff Only'. We stepped onto a shelf connected to a lift. I pressed the down button. We sank down into the laboratory. Excitement made my skin tingle. I just love labs! This one was amazing. There's a DNA structure hanging from the roof. Shelves are carrying microscopes and other scientific equipment. There's a large white bench, covered in computers, diagrams and more. Glass panes are pressed onto the stone outside, making the walls.

Fierce Fox approached a lady named Dr. Lange, standing below a shelf. "Hi, we're the immuno- the immunopath- the, uh-"

"Oh please," Dr. Lange said, rolling her eyes. "I can spot phony from a mile away."

"How did you know?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Your badges are written in crayon," Dr. Lange answered. She looked at me. "The prophesied hero? Hmm… It seems you and your friend have come on the right day. It so happens that I'm in need of a volunteer- or in this case, volunteers. Two brave- and maybe a little reckless- people."

"Count us in." I replied, feeling fear tingle my skin.

"Great," Dr. Lange said. She raised her brow. "I've been hearing rumors that you're psychic and already know what's happening. Is this true?"

"Yeah, that's me," I replied, biting my lip. "Hero stuff."

"Even better," Dr. Lange nodded. She frowned. "Though that seems impossible. Anyway… I'll give you what you need." She handed us a dossier about Patient Zero- this guy named Joe Stockman- and a camera. I sent Fierce Fox off with instructions to get Joe's photo. If you guys at home are confused, basically Joe is carrying this really deadly disease that could kill everyone on Earth. The PDC is trying to cure it, and the only way to do that is to shrink someone down, put them in Joe's body, and let them kill the virus. That person- or should I say people- was Fierce Fox and I.

"I have something for you," I told Dr. Lange. "It's from your brother." I gave her the letter. She raised her brow and slipped the letter into her lab coat.

"It's been a long time," she said, reminiscing. "How's his robot project going? Does he still live on Game Show Island?"

"Yes, he does. And it's going good." I answered. "Humans and robots are in peace. Well, thanks to my friend and I."

"Great," Dr. Lange said, sighing. "We haven't spoken for so long. I've been so busy with my virus-hunting project, and he's been busy with his robots, we haven't…" She looked away. "I can reminisce another time. Now's the time to fight the virus. Why don't you go wait in there?" She pointed to this room. "When your friend returns, she'll join you. Oh, and don't touch anything."

"I won't." I replied. I entered the room. There's a ginormous shrink ray- way larger than C.J's. It's aimed at a little space. On a pedestal, there's a microscopic ship on display. That's the ship we were going to use. A short time later, Fierce Fox entered. Dr. Lange said she'd shrink one at a time. Fierce Fox, being the courageous one, went first. The ginormous laser blasted a bright blue beam onto her, shrinking her until my eyes couldn't scan her form. Then it was my turn.

The laser felt tingly, like electricity was dancing over my body. The world seemed to grow around me, like on Shrink Ray Island. Except it was growing much faster and was much larger. Fear tingled me like the electricity. Doing it behind a screen was one thing. Doing it in real life was another. And I was terrified.

Fierce Fox and I were placed into the ship. It has four functions: this gun for shooting things, a laser for cutting through things, an electro-bolt for shocking things and a coagulant to heal wounds. We did a short tutorial and learnt the basic gist of the ship. Then it was time to go down the hatch.

The PDC wrapped our ship in a Chinese noodle, then placed us in a box. We were delivered to Joe Stockman's house as free Chinese food. Who wouldn't turn down free food? Joe accepted the food and chucked us in his mouth. We fell down into his stomach, which… is pretty gross. I feel a bit uncomfortable with describing the body, so I'll just keep the descriptions brief. There's a lot of food and a few openings that lead to different parts of the body. Little green spider-like creatures approached our ship. They were the virus. Using the gun, we shot them down.

Fierce Fox got a little cocky. "This is a breeze! We'll be out of here in no time."

"I'm not sure about that." I said. We got an alert from Joe's hand. He'd got a chopstick stuck in there. So we headed over to deal with the problem. Instead we just got more problems. Joe's white blood cells took our ship's functions away, even our shield and gravity core. The only thing left was the gun. Our job now was not only to save Joe, but to get our functions. So off we went.

The first function- the shield- was in the mouth. We traveled up Joe's disgusting esophagus to reach there. It was full of grape soda, since Joe decided to start drinking it. And I mean a lot of it. Anyway, we reached the mouth. We had to go there by foot- please don't make me remember that. I'm not really squeamish, but I do have limits. We jumped over the teeth- which Joe really needs to brush- and picked up the shield on the golden tooth. You don't see many of those these days, either.

The second function was in the intestines, below the stomach. You'd know that if you know your digestive system. Moving on, we entered the intestines. They're like a long, winding path, leading to places I'm not going to talk about. Harmful liquid drips from the walls. Blockage was in our path.

"Destroy the blockage." I told Fierce Fox. So that's what she did. Using the gun, she blasted through the blockage, until we reached a wide space near the end. A patch of the space was green. Then a thing of nightmares showed up- a virus. It was green, spider-like and had two heads and four sharp claws, attached to long, slim green arms. Those claws hurt.

I took control of the ship, despite my rubbish driving skills. I stuck around the middle of the space, the claws appearing around me. They rushed up. I fired repeatedly at them; they flashed red. They gradually got faster and faster, and started stinging us more. We were dying, and it was becoming harder to aim.

"Here, lemme go." Fierce Fox said, snatching the wheel. She drove all over the place, turning it into a dodgem car ride. She fired repeatedly at that crazy virus, until it was weakened. The white blood cells took care of the rest. They left behind the laser, so we could cut through fat again. Thank goodness.

The third function was in the heart. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only thing in the heart.

"What is that?!" Fierce Fox demanded in revolution. She was talking about the green monstrosity behind a wall of fat. We cut through the fat and entered a space. The creature looked like a green hermit crab with four long tentacles. Fierce Fox, being the natural driver, charged for the creature, laser out. We stabbed it. It tried to grab us with its claws, but Fierce Fox wasn't having any of that. She stabbed it until it ran away.

"Good," I told her. "Now we've got to follow it." So we drove through the heart, getting past a wall of fat. The virus was waiting near there, blocking our path. Fierce Fox charged for it with full throttle. We hit the virus. It pulled us in for a painful hug. Fierce Fox aimed the laser at it; it ran away in pain. We repeated this a few times, picking up some health on the way. When it was defeated, we got the coagulant.

The fourth function was in the arm. It would've been easier if Joe wasn't lifting weights. The muscles were contracting, making the journey very annoying. There were some wounds we had to heal with the coagulant, because if we didn't, their stream would stop us from moving. If that wasn't enough, the muscles have spikes on them. Great. Just what we needed.

We weaved our way through the spiky muscle maze, getting hit in the side by spikes and healing wounds. Personally, if my muscles had spikes on them, I'd get them checked out, because that's more abnormal than the killer virus. Anyway, after surviving the torturous muscle maze, we made it to another part of the arm. Beneath us was some tissue calcification, so we destroyed it with the laser. And then it was time for the scary stuff.

The muscles closed behind us, so we were trapped in a new space. Joe got a cramp, thanks to the virus. And the virus itself was disgusting. It had planted its… egg sacks on Joe's muscles. They spawned spider-like viruses to kill us.

"Okay," I told Fierce Fox, my voice shaky. "We need to distract those spider guys so we can destroy their… spawn point, I guess." Fierce Fox seemed okay with that. She drove up to some wounds and covered them in coagulation. The spider guys ran over to deal with them. We drove over to the first egg sac and blasted it with the gun, until the white blood cells took over.

The spider guys were coming back, so we covered up the wounds again. Then we focused on the second egg sac. We blasted it with the gun until the white blood cells arrived. We also killed the viruses. Joe was feeling much better, since his cramp had been healed. And we got the electro-bolt.

The fifth and final function was in… probably the body's most important organ: the brain. Fierce Fox and I entered the brain using the electro-bolt to pass a nerve. There are quite a lot of electric things and nerves in there. And there was a large green virus, sending minions to destroy us.

"Use the laser to destroy them," I told Fierce Fox. She held out the hot red laser, incinerating the viruses. I nodded. "Okay, now we're going to hook up all the nerves with the electro-bolt and shock the big virus." So that's what we did. This time, I was driving. A nerve was glowing with electricity. I shocked it with the electro-bolt and brought it over to another neuron. Now that neuron was shocked. Eventually, the chain reached Big Mama Virus. I avoided its claws and connected the nerve to the neuron it was standing on. It got shocked.

Big Mama Virus sent a wave of viruses at us. I destroyed them with the laser, then went back to making a nerve train. It's a bit boring to write about, since we had to do it five times and nothing exciting happened. So I'll skip to the end, where we defeated the virus and got the gravity core.

"Just one more virus," I told Fierce Fox. "And then we're getting out."

The final boss was in the lungs. We had to get there via the heart and fix some heart arrhythmia. The lungs are a wide space, covered in inhaled smoke. There are… alveoli, I think, on the sides and green waste from the virus. The virus itself is this big, green diamond with yellow tentacles. It was the largest virus so far, and we had to shoot it. It seemed to be feeding on the alveoli using its tentacles. Not good for Joe.

I was driving again. We stood near the virus, shooting at its yellow tentacle arms. One of them fell off. The virus ran away. We chased it. It started eating more alveoli, so I shot at it again. It ran away. Some viruses came over, so I shot them too. It wasn't actually that hard. The one in the brain was harder. In this one, you just had to shoot the virus' arms. That was all.

"Done." I said when the white blood cells took over. I gripped my arms. "Prepare for Joe to sneeze." Fierce Fox gave me a weird look. Suddenly, a wave of force surrounded our ship, propelling us upwards. There was a flash of light, something gross like nose hair, and we were in Joe's apartment. We were about the size of how small C.J's shrink ray could shrink you.

"Take a blood sample!" Dr. Lange and her assistant burst in. "We need to get the vaccine into production as soon as possible." The assistant rushed over to Joe.

"Hey, what's- ow!" Joe cried as the assistant vaccinated him. "What's going on?"

"Your body has manufactured a cure for the most dangerous virus we've ever seen!" Dr. Lange answered.

"Say what?" Joe asked in surprise.

"You're a hero, Joe!" Dr. Lange cried. "You've just saved the world!"

Joe leaped victoriously into the air. "Woo-hoo! My mom always said I'd do great things."

"Hey, don't we get any credit?" Fierce Fox asked, as we returned to normal size.

"Whoa! The prophesied hero!" Joe cried, looking at me. "I love this day!"

"That was a black op," Dr. Lange answered, biting her lip. "No one must ever know of your involvement. The best we can do is give you this." She handed us the medallion. And then it was time for the bonus quest.

Fierce Fox and I exited Joe's apartment and came outside.

"Belle! Belle, come back!" a girl cried, her dog running away.

"What's the matter?" Fierce Fox asked.

"It's my dog, Belle," the girl answered. "She's been acting crazy ever since she ate this out of the dumpster." She handed us a petri dish with the PDC logo.

"I'm sure the PDC will help us with this." Fierce Fox said, scanning the petri dish.

"Pfft," Dr. Lange scoffed. "We can't use our secret-multi-billion-dollar tech on a house pet. What's it got to do with us?" Fierce Fox showed her the petri dish. "Oh no, our weaponized heartworm! That canine is now a ticking time bomb."

"What does that mean?" Fierce Fox asked. I gave her a look that said nothing good.

"There's no time to waste!" Dr. Lange cried. "You've got to defeat the heartworm before it spreads. Contain the dog." She faced me. "Actually… uh, I think your friend can deal with the dog. I've got… a special mission for you." I shrugged. I told Fierce Fox what to do, then faced Dr. Lange.

"So… what's this mission?" I asked. Dr. Lange frowned.

"It's… not… really a mission," she answered, looking uncomfortable. "More of a… uh… favour." She pulled out a crisp letter from her lab coat. "Deliver this… to my brother, please?"

I bit my lip. "Uh… why can't you do it yourself?"

"I'm… too busy," Dr. Lange answered. She held up the letter. "But please deliver it. You'd be doing me a huge favour."

"Alright, fine," I said, accepting the letter. "Time to go to Game Show Island."

I climbed into the blimp and soared over to Game Show Island. It didn't look any different. Well, except for the relationship between humans and robots. Anyway, I found Dr. Harold and gave him the letter.

"Glad to know she cares." he said, admiring the letter. "Say thanks for me. Oh, and thank you to you as well."

"No problem." I replied. Sure, it wasn't as exciting as fighting a heartworm, but way less dangerous. And we all know it's better to be safe than sorry.


	40. Mocktropica

Fierce Fox seemed shaky as we arrived on Mocktropica Island.

"You okay?" I asked with concern.

"Been a long time." Fierce Fox sighed. She gazed at the Poptropica Worldwide Headquarters, which is a brick building with many long, blue windows. In those windows are objects from other islands. The path is concrete and the street looks very normal, apart from the glitches hanging around. Like the pot plant in front of Headquarters that glitches and turns into a cupcake.

"So… where's your family?" I asked, raising my brow.

"Around," Fierce Fox replied. She frowned, discontent in her eyes. She didn't look too pleased about her family being around.

"Uh… alright," I said, chewing my lip. Mocktropica is a unique island. It breaks the fourth wall a lot and has a lot of programmed glitches. It seems like an unlikely place for someone like Fierce Fox to be from. Oh well. We spoke to a lady outside the HQ. She complained about the island being imcomplete, then rushed off. So Fierce Fox's island wasn't even complete, either. I bet that helped her ego.

Fierce Fox and I entered HQ. It's a blue, modern-ish building. Well, at least everywhere but the basement is. By the left side, there's a focus testing room for a guy named the Focus Tester. In there were some children. The Focus Tester was outside, standing near some cake. Fierce Fox and I approached him.

"Ah! Fierce Fox!" he exclaimed. "It's been a long time. I've been seeing you travel around with the prophesied hero. Wait until your aunt hears about this! She'll-"

"I know, I know." Fierce Fox grumbled.

"Actually, this hero business isn't that great," the Focus Tester said, folding his arms. "In a way, it ruins our plans." He shook his head at me. "Which, naturally, have, er, nothing to do with you."

"Yeah, sure." I said, raising my brow. I stared at Fierce Fox. She rolled her eyes at me. She looked so foreign on this island: adventurous with her fiery-red hair and punk clothing. The Mocktropicans were all flashy and money-obsessed. I didn't know how they could be related.

"Anyway, what are you doing back?" the Focus Tester asked. "I thought you said you'd never return."

"Um…" Fierce Fox looked around awkwardly. "I'm on an island quest."

"Yes, all the buzz," the Focus Tester sighed. He gazed at the cake. "Here, help yourself to some cake. My mom made it." I shrugged and took a piece. "I've got some work to do, like making Poptropica a better game. There will be people who will want to see you, Fierce Fox."

"Great." Fierce Fox grumbled. I raised my brow at her as we walked to an elevator. "He's a family friend. My dad's best friend."

"Who's your dad?" I asked. I gazed in the other direction. "If you don't mind me asking."

"He doesn't work here," Fierce Fox answered. She frowned. "But he's important." She didn't seem to want to answer anymore questions, so I kept my mouth shut. We got to the first floor. It belongs to this guy called the Safety Inspector, who- obviously- is safety obsessed. He's also Fierce Fox's cousin. It seemed she was related or at least knew everyone on the island. The Safety Inspector wasn't too happy about Fierce Fox running around on islands, and warned her to be safer. She ignored him.

The Obnoxious Ad Sale Lady is floor three. She looks strikingly rich with luxurious, black hair and fancy clothing. There are some expensive things like a golden coffee machine lying around.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite niece!" the Ad lady cried, grinning at Fierce Fox.

"She's your aunt?!" I whispered. Fierce Fox bit her lip.

"Hey, Aunt Obnoxious." she greeted half-heartedly.

"Just wait until you see our newest ad!" Fierce Fox's aunt cried, waving her arms.

"Uh… we're good, thanks." Fierce Fox replied. She gripped my bicep. "Let's go, Alice."

"Wait!" the Ad lady said, approaching us. "The prophesied hero! Fierce Fox, you and the hero could make us a fortune! We just need the hero to sign-"

"We're good," Fierce Fox insisted, gritting her teeth. "Let's go, Alice."

After speaking to Fierce Fox's other family friend on the fourth floor, we went into the basement. It's dark in there, full of computers, signs and age. The workers are more stressed out than students on finals week. It turns out their designer, developer and writer were gone, and we needed to retrieve them. Using one of the computers, I set the island's mood to happy, to let us enter somewhere. Then we headed out to find the workers.

The designer was at a cheese factory on a farm, so we headed there. The Focus Tester had started these things called achievements, which we received for doing various things. Fierce Fox mentioned he was always doing silly things like that. Anyway, the cheese factory is on a lush, green farm, full of glitchy cows.

"These pets won't stop eating! They're multiplying!" a kid cried, surrounded by small, orange furry creatures called Narfs. He ran off, the Narfs following. Fierce Fox and I entered the cheese factory, which is pale with an orange roof. We got an achievement for entering. Its shelves are stocked with cheese and large containments stirring fresh cheese. There was machinery making cheese curds. A guy was standing near some machinery. It was Lance Pitcher, the designer. He loved making cheese curls and didn't want to leave. Even Fierce Fox, someone he recognized, couldn't convince him.

Fierce Fox and I, taking a bag of cheese curds Lance insisted we have, headed over to Funshine Mountain. The kid with the Narfs was not liking his new pets. There's a large ravine before Funshine Mountain, which the Safety Inspector wouldn't let us pass. I chucked a cheese curd in there. Millions of Narfs jumped in after it, filling up the ravine. Then the Safety Inspector let us pass.

We scaled the rocky, grass-covered Mount Funshine. Rocks fell down it- but they're virtual, so they didn't hurt. I kept getting tricked by them, which was really annoying. However, the mountain wasn't very big, since the illustrator was on break and would finish the mountain later. A climber, agitated, dumped his climbing axe and stormed off the mountain. We picked that up and returned to the cheese factory. Well, not before being interrupted by the Focus Tester, who made us pay cash called Pop Coins to leave Main Street.

Because of this, we had to go into the basement and set the time to night. This made a shadowy character come out, who gave us counterfeit coins so we could leave Main Street.

"You've got one weird family friend." I told Fierce Fox about the Focus Tester as we set the time back to day. An evil one, too. I tried not to express my frown. Poor Fierce Fox, some of her family were the antagonists. It made me wonder how she became a hero. "Hey… I've got a question. How did you… y'know, become my Poptropican and all? I mean… did you get recruited or something?"

"It's a long story," Fierce Fox grumbled, her face darkening. "My family are all money obsessed, right? So, they were tryna drag me into the business. I never liked that. One day, I got invited to the notorious 'blue room', the place where heroes are made and protect islands and stuff. There could only be one hero. I was excited. I wanted to be that hero. But my family wanted me to stay because of their stupid money and that game, Mega Fighting Bots. I got angry and left, telling 'em I'd never return. It's been a long time since then."

"Whoa…" I said. I bit my lip. "Blue room…" You mean, where Poptropicans are made? So… I thought. I must've picked Fierce Fox through there. But what about other Poptropicans? Are there different timelines with different heroes? That's… weird, when you think of it like that.

"Uh… yeah," Fierce Fox said, raising her brow. "Anyway, we'd better get to Lance's cheese factory."

"Right," I nodded in agreement. "Our mission."

We got to the cheese factory. Using the climbing axe, I broke the cheese machine. The curds were being produced at a rapid pace; the whole factory was rumbling from the pressure. Darkness clouded my vision. When it was gone, exploded cheese covered everything except Fierce Fox, Lance and I.

"No!" Lance cried. "My cheese curds! Nooooo!"

"Maybe you should go back to your old job now," Fierce Fox commented. "Just a thought!"

"It is with sadness that I agree to return to Poptropica Worldwide HQ," Lance monologued. "There is nothing here for me now."

"He's actually a nice guy," Fierce Fox whispered to me. "They all are. They just don't like the HQ that much."

I nodded. "I get that."

Lance returning was the good news. The bad news was our inventory was gone. To retrieve it, we had to find the developer- a guy named Billy Jordan. Before we did that, we set the weather to clear- we didn't want rain pouring on us as we climbed up Mount Funshine. Then we went to such mountain. It's completely finished now and rises into the clouds. I still hate jumping, though. Mount Funshine was no exception. I was puffed out when we arrived at the top. And there's a ski lift there, too.

"You don't know where this ski lift is?" I asked, staring at Fierce Fox. "We could've used that!"

"The climb's worth it." Fierce Fox shrugged. I sighed irritably. Oh well. At least the view's pleasant: bright, blue skies contrasting against the green, flower-covered mountain-top. On the tippy top of the mountain is a dead tree. On that dead tree was a bearded hobo- Billy Jordan. He refused to leave until we played a game of mancala with him. I don't like mancala that much, so I let Fierce Fox play it with him. They were old buddies, naturally. Being the natural, she defeated him.

"How are you so good at everything?!" Billy complained. I smiled in agreement. "Whatever! I never liked that silly game anyway!"

"Sore loser, huh?" Fierce Fox asked, smirking. "Not very zen…"

"Says you!" Billy grumbled. He sighed. "I'll be back at the office."

Billy fixed our inventory. It seemed there were no more major glitches, apart from some dialogue bug. I changed the position of the buildings outside on a computer, then we exited the basement. You're probably wondering why I swapped the buildings around. We'll get back to that later. For now, Fierce Fox and I headed over to Ephiram University, which is a brick, mordern-ish building. Your typical university.

Fierce Fox and I entered such university. In there was the writer, Max McPatrick. He was trying to teach some irresponsible students a poem. All they wanted to do was play Mega Fighting Bots.

"I know I can get through to these kids," Max sighed. "I'm going to change their lives."

"What are you trying to teach them?" Fierce Fox asked. "A poem?"

"You got it," Max replied. He shook his head. "You always did, Fierce Fox. I'm trying to teach them the poem, O Captain! My Captain! I'm hoping it will foster a love of poetry. Y'know, as an educator, I really prefer the Socratic method…" He showed us a copy of the poem. There was an ad hovering around the paper. I slapped it away, causing the paper to set on fire. Max frowned. "Argh! That's the only copy I had… I'm going to need more soda pop to get through this day. That's an old writer's trick. Always give the player something to search for. Hint hint."

"We got it." Fierce Fox assured him. We left the university and returned to Main Street. The Focus Tester had a 'brilliant' new idea: collectibles. He wanted us to collect one thousand and told us where the first one was. That one was the only one we needed. Remember when I changed the order of the buildings? Well, I had to do that so we could get to the top of the HQ. On there was the collectible- a soda bottle.

After grabbing that, the Safety Inspector showed up.

"Stop!" he cried. "Jumping off of a building is dangerous without the right equipment. Take this!" He handed us two comically-large helmets that were probably bigger than me.

"This is ludicrous." Fierce Fox commented, eyeing the helmet on her head. I chuckled and led her off the building. We removed the helmets and found our next problem: a large, soda-filled crate was blocking our path.

"Just do something, anything, to get this crate open!" the Focus Tester pleaded. So we headed down to the basement and onto the computer. We smashed the crate open using computer programs. When we returned to Main Street, the crate was destroyed. Sticky, orange soda was spilled everywhere. We passed that and entered the university.

"Thanks, but that's not enough to get me back in the game." Max said, once we'd given him the soda.

"Hey, that's not how this is supposed to work, Max." Fierce Fox grumbled.

"You did bring me the soda pop…" Max sighed, looking away. "But I'm afraid that if I go back, the nightmares will return."

"You mean those nightmares about script writing?" Fierce Fox asked. She rolled her eyes. "I thought you were over those!"

"They never left," Max said, shaking his head. "Even you won't get the severity of them. But… ah, I can't resist non-stop editing whenever I see scripts."

"And you always put them in the trash, right?" Fierce Fox asked. Max nodded, winking at her. I could see he was giving us a hint. So we left the university and returned to the dirty basement once again. It was even more dirty now since the workers were sitting on each other's laps.

"Um, why are they all sitting on each other's laps?" Fierce Fox asked. She'd been doing way more talking in this island, and her confidence was higher. Of course, that was expected. It's her island, after all.

"This is my brilliant new 'two-deep' program," the lady from the fourth level explained vigorously. She was always trying to make new island plots. "Double the space, half the money wasted on chairs!" Fierce Fox shrugged at me. We headed over to a pile of bags. Behind them was a sleeping guy, who was blocking a bin we needed to search. We removed him using the Focus Tester's mom's cake. We did the infamous Poptropica act and searched through the bin, finding an island script. We gave it to Max.

"So many typos!" he cried. "Who typed this, a three-toed sloth? I need to get to my writing station!" Then his students recited the O Captain! My Captain! poem… then dumped him and talked about Mega Fighting Bots. Poor guy. We went back outside, the sky a beautiful blue. The ad floating around us wasn't so beautiful.

"Aunt Obnoxious!" Fierce Fox rebuked, crossing her arms.

"I've done it!" the Ad lady exclaimed. "I've created the most obtrusive ad of all time. Our CPM is about to go through the roof!"

"Auntie, get rid of it." Fierce Fox growled, putting her hands on her hips. Her appearance was very intimidating, especially her fizzing lighting staff. The ad was bouncing around, and almost hit my head.

"Alright…" the Ad lady sighed. She smirked like a successful business man would. "If the prophesied hero does a few things for me. Once the players see that, I'll rope in more cash than ever!"

"Fine, Alice will," Fierce Fox said, frowning. "But no more ads after this."

"I won't need them when everyone sees the hero's stamp of approval!" the Ad lady replied. She turned to me. "I just need to take a picture with you, and I need you to sign a few things. Not hard! Won't take more than a few minutes."

"Uh… sure, I guess…" I agreed. I walked over to Fierce Fox's aunt. She snapped a few pictures of me next to some advertisements.

"Smile for the camera!" she cried. I gave a toothless grin, throwing my scarf over my shoulder. Fierce Fox rolled her eyes. After the photos, I signed a few ads and posters. The Ad lady patted my shoulder. "Thank you. Now, I've got money to make! If you're interested in doing anything else, come see me." She raced off.

"Well… that was kind of weird." I commented, raising my brow.

"What's next?" Fierce Fox asked with gritted teeth. I gestured her to follow me. We returned to the HQ. The lady from the fourth floor approached us. And she'd done something very stupid.

"This is my finest hour!" she explained. "I've eliminated almost all of Poptropica's servers."

"Won't that make the game run really slow?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"Technically yes, but I dare you to notice the difference!" the lady replied, grinning. I led Fierce Fox over to the basement. However, we were caught in the loading screen: a blue room with the floating Poptropica logo.

"It's like the blue room…" Fierce Fox admired. She shook her head. "We need to get outta here!"

"And I know how," I replied. "Put on that helmet and smash that logo." Fierce Fox obliged. She smashed the logo with her giant head, somehow receiving an achievement. Then we got to Poptropica's server, which involved solving a puzzle. After solving the puzzle, we fixed the server and were free to return to the Main Street, so we did.

"I don't believe it!" the lady- the first person who spoke to- exclaimed. "All of the problems are fixed and the island is ready to launch. Poptropica is back!"

"So that's it? We saved the day?" Fierce Fox asked. She looked unsure.

"The only thing that's missing is a Poptropica-style twist," the lady replied. "There should be an enemy who's been hiding in plain sight, but who could it be?" The quad arrived: the Focus Tester, the Safety Inspector, Fierce Fox's aunt and the fourth-floor lady.

"We are the enemies who have been hiding in plain sight!" the Focus Tester exclaimed. "Surprise: we own both Poptropica and Megafightingbots .com!"

"I know that," Fierce Fox grumbled. "I know what you've been up to." She made a fist. "Family or not, sorry… I can't let you drive away Poptropica's success."

The Focus Tester sighed and stared at Fierce Fox. "Fierce Fox… it's been a long time. I know… you dislike the family business, but… imagine if your parents saw this. Your dad's in a higher position than us. He wouldn't want you to be like this."

"He can't control me," Fierce Fox growled. She turned to me. "Alice, no offence, but this is going to be a… personal battle. So… could you…"

"I got it." I said, taking a few steps back. Fierce Fox faced her family.

"For Poptropica!" she shouted, like a real hero. Her family glanced at each other.

"Business associates, you know what we must do." the Safety Inspector declared.

"It's time for Plan B." the Ad lady agreed.

"We must summon…" the Focus Tester continued.

They all shouted, "The real life Mega Fighting Bots!" That's when the fight scene started. Mega Fighting Bots flew down from the sky, each representing an executive. They combined, becoming a ginormous Mega Fighting Bot. I glanced in the other direction as Fierce Fox chucked Pop Coins at them, damaging them. They couldn't even land a blow on her. Her dodging skills were too good. I wondered if this was hard on Fierce Fox, knowing this was her family. She seemed strong and confident, but I could've sworn I saw her eyes glimmer with tears.

Fierce Fox threw Pop Coin after Pop Coin, until she destroyed the bot. She also destroyed the achievement system. She and her family returned to the ground, the fight complete.

"You… haven't seen the last of us!" the Focus Tester cried, sounding a little sad himself. "We'll… we'll… be back!" A plane with the Mega Fighting Bots logo appeared. The executives climbed in and took off. Fierce Fox watched them for a bit, then turned to the first lady.

"Medallion, please," she insisted. The lady shrugged and handed her the medallion. Fierce Fox scowled and grabbed my arm. "Let's go. Enough of this island."

Poor thing, I thought, as we left in our own ride.


	41. Monster Carnival

I don't really remember if I've ever been to a carnival before. If I have, it was probably quite different from Monster Carnival. Well, after nighttime, I mean. Before that, it was relatively normal, including the town. Although it's the 1950s there. There's a dark brown apothecary, made of dark brown bricks. There's also an ice-cream store and a mechanic's, which both look really old-fashioned. And so do most of the characters, save Fierce Fox and myself (obviously). At least the sky was a beautiful blue and the trees contrast nicely in the background. To the right there was a carnival, so Fierce Fox and I headed that way. We ran into a boy.

"Who are you?" Fierce Fox asked.

"I'm Edgar- proud carnie apprentice." the boy answered. He has brown hair styled with bangs above the forehead. That 1950s look. He wears overalls over a striped shirt. Very 1950s. He's a major character in the island, sort of like Amelia on Monkey Wrench. And also like Amelia, he's a nice guy. A nervous frown was expressed on his face.

"You look nervous." Fierce Fox noticed, raising her brow.

"All these people are waiting for the carnival, but I don't think it's going to be ready in time." Edgar answered. He stared at me. "Uh… sorry, but… have I seen you somewhere?"

"Maybe." I said, biting my lip. I focused on the blue sky.

Fierce Fox sucked in her breath. "What can we do?"

"It would be a big help if you could talk to the other workers and see if there's anything they need," Edgar replied. "The carnival is this way." He walked off. Fierce Fox and I followed him. The carnival was set up on a corn field with many grassy hills. To the far right is a forest. We came to a game stall, which was a duck game. A bit scary. It had a red and white striped tent and a pool missing water. According to the carnie who runs it, it was a 'disaster'. Honestly, water is very easy to get.

"Alright, go to this mechanic's called Honest Gabe's," I told Fierce Fox. "Tell the lady there that you need the radiator hose and get the hose." Fierce Fox nodded, then ran off. The monsters aren't here yet, I thought. Nothing should happen if we split up for a bit.

"Darn, that Edgar!" the lady running the food stall complained. It sold fair food like cotton candy. "He can't get enough of my fried dough, and now I'm out of sugar!"

"Do you need some help?" I asked. The lady gave me the task of making sugar in laboratory. Excitement welled up inside me like a balloon. I skipped over to the apothecary, a grin plastered on my face. I passed Fierce Fox on the way. That was quick, I thought. "Hey. Give that hose to the Duck Stall guy. Then go over to the Balloon Game and get their darts. Go back to the mechanic's and sharpen the darts." My friend nodded and raced off. I arrived at the apothecary.

The apothecary is dark and full of medicines, tonics and more. It's basically an old-fashioned chemist. I spoke to the owner, whose name is Dr. Dan. He has a little secret, but we'll get back to that in the bonus quest.

I used Poptropican physics and said, "You could have just said that."

Of course, Dr. Dan knew what I was talking about. "Moot poot. I can't see a well enough reason to make them anymore. Say, could you help me fill in this order?"

"With pleasure," I responded. Dr. Dan handed me a formula to make salt, which sat with the sugar formula. Now I needed to make sugar and salt in a lab. Enthrallment tingled my spine. I leaped up a few shelves, reaching the ChemoBUSTER-2000. It's a microwave-like machine where you can make chemicals. I grabbed some materials off of the shelves and stuffed them into the ChemoBUSTER-2000. Then I began creating salt.

With a gun, I fired bubbles at chemicals. They split up and then joined together, creating new chemicals. These chemicals were called sodium chloride and H20. In other words, salt and water. The salt popped up in a bag. I was so cheerful I didn't complain about the table salt having a complicated name just to get a profit. I gave the salt to Dr. Dan. He said I could use the machine again to make sugar, so I did.

After that, I returned to the carnival. Fierce Fox was holding a souvenir cup with an unimpressed expression. I giggled at that and walked over to her. She was standing next to the balloon game.

"We can use that for something." I told her. We walked over to the fried food stall. I filled up the souvenir cup with cooking oil (bleh). I also gave the lady running it the sugar.

"You're a lifesaver, kid," the lady said, grinning. "On the house." She handed me fresh, hot, buttery fried dough. The smell wafted into my nostrils, making me grin. I could see why Edgar enjoyed it so. Speak of the devil…

"Is any of that fried dough ready yet?" Edgar asked, racing over. "I'm a demon for that stuff!" Totally not foreshadowing.

"Back to work, trainee!" the lady ordered. I gave Edgar a friendly shrug before he ran off. Fierce Fox and I headed right to the Ferris wheel. It was a nice Ferris wheel… apart from the demonic clown face in the middle. And the fact that it was going too fast. The blue carriages whooshed past my head, making my hair blow in the wind.

"Looks like them people are going to be mighty disappointed, but I can't let 'em on this thing." the carnie there told us. I turned to Fierce Fox.

"Go right and into the forest. There'll be a lever there. Grab it and come back." I instructed. Fierce Fox nodded and headed off. I was too much of a coward to go with her, so I waited. Fierce Fox soon returned with the lever. I plugged it onto the Ferris wheel's machinery; it slowed down. The guy thanked us.

"You did it!" Edgar cried, running over. "We can open the carnival!" And the scene cut to dusk. The beautiful colours of dusk splashed the sky, and the carnival was alight. Now, technically, this is the part where you're supposed to do the dart-sharpening. However, I'd gotten the order of events wrong, and had told Fierce Fox to do it earlier. Surprisingly, it worked, and there was no problem with the darts. And we had the souvenir cup filled with oil.

"Hey, I gotta ask," Edgar approached Fierce Fox and I as we stood near the food stall. "How did you know about the darts?" He stared at me. "Wait… you're the prophesied hero, right?" He gasped. "Wow! The prophesied hero's here, at the carnival! This is crazy! Nice to meet you."

"Uh… you too," I said. It felt a bit weird, this whole hero thing. Especially with people treating me like that. "Anyway, my friend and I are gonna go play some carnival games now, so…"

"Oh, sure!" Edgar said cheerfully. "Have fun!" Fierce Fox and I jumped up one of the grassy hills.

"He's a nice guy," I told Fierce Fox. I shrugged. "Besides, you know how people react to me."

"Good point." Fierce Fox replied, a small frown visible on her face. We arrived at the next carnival game: the Weight Guess. Like the name, this guy guesses your weight. If he does it incorrectly, you get a prize. With my instruction, Fierce Fox went to the apothecary and grabbed something small but heavy… so we could cheat and win the prize. That prize was a bouncy ball.

With the prize in our possession, we headed down to the Test Your Strength game. It's one of those games where you hit a marker with a hammer and see how strong you are. The game was a scam, since something in it was absorbing the strength. Like a spy, I swapped this out with the bouncy ball. Fierce Fox smashed the hammer onto the marker. She surpassed the top.

"Such strength!" the carnie running it exclaimed. "We should pump iron together some time. Until then, keep this hammer as a token of my admiration." She let Fierce Fox keep that awesome stone hammer. Then we went back to the Ferris wheel. Surprise surprise, there was a crisis. And that crisis was that the Ferris wheel had stopped and two kids were trapped on it.

"Just where did you find that lever, a heap of junk?" the Ferris wheel carnie asked. "We've got to grease these gears or those kids will be stuck up there all night!" Luckily, we had the cup of oil. I placed it in the gears; they started rotating and whirring. The Ferris wheel did a similar thing. The kids were brought to the ground, safe and sound.

"That's the last time I let my boyfriend pick the ride!" the girl exclaimed. "Now we're going on the Tunnel of Love." She and her boyfriend left to do so. I hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of Vampire's Curse Island. And by that I mean the romantic business at the end. Unfortunately, that very thing occurred. The carnie at the Tunnel of Love was witness to that. And not only witness, but a complainer.

"Hey, can you two give me a hand?" he asked. I nodded. "We have a strict 'hands-to-yourself' policy that these teens need to obey. We'll teach them a lesson. Go to the Haunted Lab and get yourselves some masks. You'll need this." He handed us a flashlight. Then, me sighing reluctantly, Fierce Fox and I headed over to the Haunted Lab. The Haunted Lab has always managed to creep me out, no matter how many times I play Monster Carnival.

The only reason I entered with Fierce Fox was because I felt like I wasn't contributing enough. Even with the flashlight, it was very dark. There were trees with faces from my nightmares, barrels of toxic waste, monsters, doors, and creaky stairs. The wall was tearing up, patches of cream coming through the dark wallpaper. There were pictures on the wall of scary heads. Chills raced up my spine.

Fierce Fox, in the lead, charged up the stairs. I stayed back, bending my knees. My eyes were widened as I scanned the area, looking for trouble. Logically I knew there wasn't any, but fear isn't logical. It's quite the opposite. Thankfully, we reached the masks. There was only one, unfortunately. Oh well. Fierce Fox could scare those teens.

After grabbing the mask, Fierce Fox and I exited the Haunted Lab. We headed over to the Tunnel of Love. Before entering, Fierce Fox placed on the mask. I told her what to do; she went inside. A few seconds later, the teenagers were running out, screaming for mama. I giggled. I stopped giggling when I saw some residents talking about something suspicious.

"Where did all the carnies go?" a man asked.

"They all ran into the woods!" a woman replied. Fierce Fox gave me a look. I sucked in my breath.

"Come on." I told her. I led her into the forest, which is sort of like the one on Twisted Thicket. There's an abandoned roller-coaster and a creepy Poptropican face, both covered in vines. We passed those and headed through the trees. There are quite a lot of bushes, trees, mushrooms, and a dirt floor. Twisted Thicket's beauty is unparalleled, but it's not the same for its scariness. By far, Monster Carnival surpassed that. Somehow, I don't know how, but it did.

Anyway, Fierce Fox and I followed trinkets that the carnies had dropped to reach them. A little while later, we arrived at a clearing. More trees than before surround it, and the scene's darker, intensifying my fear. The carnies were standing before a twisted tree stump, their eyes googly. A hooded figure was standing on the tree stump.

"Found them, now what are they all doing out here?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. I shushed her.

"The hour has come, my children!" the hooded figure declared. "Become your true selves and serve me!" With that word, the carnies turned into… monsters, of all different shapes. I felt chills down my spine. And I got even more when the hooded guy said, "And now, you will bring me the prophesied hero! Dead or alive, I care not! Bring her to me!"

"Uh…" Fierce Fox gave me a look. "We'd better go."

"Yeah…" I said, fear brewing in my belly. The hooded guy was sending the monsters to kill me. Great. Now I was dead. Life doesn't get much better than that.

By the time we got to the edge of the forest, the sky had darkened to black with splashes of green. The Ferris wheel was even more terrifying than before- scratch that, the whole carnival was terrifying. This was not a normal carnival. It was a monster carnival (obviously). Shivers made my whole body shake. We arrived at the end of the carnival, near the Haunted Lab. Edgar ran up to us.

"We've got to do something!" he cried. "All my friends have been turned into monsters," He looked at me. "And they're coming after you!"

"What should we do?" Fierce Fox asked, tapping her foot.

"Ringmaster Raven will know what to do!" Edgar replied. I held up my hand.

"Actually… he's the bad guy," I explained. "He's… trying to hypnotize everyone… and capture me."

"What!" Edgar cried, shaking his head. "No way! He's a good guy!"

"He really isn't," I insisted. "He's going to hypnotize you, too." My heart clenched in fear.

"I… don't know if I can believe you…" Edgar admitted. He frowned. "I just want to help my friends."

"We can," I insisted. I smiled at Fierce Fox. "This… t-this is Poptropica. We'll save the day." We can only try, I thought. My fear was growing stronger. It always does. Despite how calm I may act, my fear is always overwhelming. And it gets in the way, too.

"But how will we do that?" Edgar asked. I tapped my chin.

"I think we have to defeat Ringmaster Raven, by kidnapping him or something," I answered, with a shrug. "I'm not totally sure."

"I can do that easily." Fierce Fox bragged. I tried not to roll my eyes.

"So… we kidnap and defeat Ringmaster Raven?" Edgar asked. He sounded a little unsure. "But what about the monsters on the way? Or… what if the plan doesn't work?"

"Well, there's three of us," I replied. Suddenly, an idea flowered in my head. I gasped. "I know what to do! Listen in, guys."

Edgar and I edged our way to the tent. It was a typical circus tent: red-and-white-striped pattern with flags on top. Ringmaster Raven was waiting inside near some colourful, circus-like cages and seats. He was wearing a bird beak mask; a flowing red cape; a top hat; black clothing with buttons. Very sinister.

"Ringmaster, it's terrible!" Edgar complained. He was a relatively good actor. "They've all turned into monsters!"

"I know exactly what to do," Ringmaster Raven replied. He eyed me in a creepy way. "I'll need the prophesied hero for this."

"Sure," I replied. I winked at Fierce Fox, who was hiding in the shadows. "But you'll never get the chance. Now!" My friend raced forward, clutching the hammer. She swung it at Ringmaster Raven. Edgar looked away. But Ringmaster Raven had dodged the blow and was standing on top of the cage.

"Very clever!" he sneered. "You know what's happening, don't you? You fool! You can't stop me with your pathetic plans!" He laughed darkly. "Edgar, Fierce Fox, seize the hero!"

"Wait, what?!" I questioned. Fierce Fox and Edgar roughly grabbed me around the waist. "Fierce Fox!? What?!"

"This is why you should never split up," Ringmaster Raven cackled. "While she was alone, I hypnotized her to be my slave. Edgar too. Now they're both under my control… and soon you will be, too!"

"No!" I shouted, clenching my fists. I struggled in the grip of Fierce Fox and Edgar, but they were pretty strong. They kept me above ground, their hands digging into my sides. Their eyes had gone googly, which almost released a sob from my throat. My poor friends. What had I done?

My captors locked me onto a chair. This crazy bird-laser was aimed right at my face. Its beak was opened; the engines were whirring inside. Fear was now not only clenching my heart, but my entire body. Fierce Fox was standing on one side, Edgar on the other.

"While Edgar hypnotizes you, Fierce Fox and I will be taking care of the rest of town!" the ringmaster cackled. He removed his mask, revealing a long nose and bird-like marks on his face. He nodded at Edgar. "Goodbye, hero!" Then he and the hypnotized Fierce Fox exited.

"No!" I shouted. I turned to Edgar. I remembered the fried dough. "Hey, Edgar! Want some fried dough?" I was able to move my hand enough to get out the fried dough. I passed it to Edgar. He stuffed his face, his googly eyes clearing.

"Mmm, fried dough…" he said. He blinked. "Huh…? What happened? Where am I?"

"You were hypnotized!" I answered. "Ringmaster Raven somehow hypnotized you and Fierce Fox. Now those two are going to hypnotize the whole town!"

"Oh no!" Edgar exclaimed, raising his arms. "We've got to stop them!" He freed me from the chair by pressing a button on the machine. "Where are they?"

"At the apothecary, I think," I replied. I shivered. "C'mon, maybe we can still catch them." Edgar and I raced out of the tent and to the apothecary. It was boarded shut and all the lights were off. It didn't look like anyone was inside. More chills crept down my spine.

"Where could they be?" Edgar asked, also seeming stressed.

"Let's go back to the carnival." I suggested. So we ran back to the carnival. It felt odd to run so much. But I was too nervous to really care. The monsters were all there, standing in front of their designated stalls, games and so forth. No sign of Fierce Fox or Ringmaster Raven. I bit my lip.

"They're not here, either," Edgar said, shaking. Then, his eyes widened. "Wait, I think I saw something enter the tent!" He raced ahead. I followed him, eyeing the dark sky. In the distance, glowing eyes stared at me. I looked away and focused on running. We entered the tent again. The townspeople were standing in a cage, defenseless. The bird-laser was aimed at them, with Fierce Fox at the wheel. Ringmaster Raven was cackling.

"Stop!" I yelled, Edgar and I dashing in.

"You may have escaped, but once they're all hypnotized, you'll have nowhere to run!" the ringmaster sneered. He nodded at Fierce Fox. "Go!"

"NO!" I shouted. I bent my knees and leaped up to my partner/friend. I shoved her down. "Fierce Fox, don't you remember me? It's me, Alice!" I showed her a medallion. "We've completed islands together! I'm your voice!" Fierce Fox blinked a bit, then her eyes returned to normal. Relief flooded through me.

"What… happened?" Fierce Fox asked, scratching her head.

"You were hypnotized!" I answered. Fierce Fox got to her feet and glared at Ringmaster Raven.

"Fools!" Ringmaster Raven bellowed. "You will never defeat me!"

"We'll see about that!" Fierce Fox spat. She spazzed her fingers on the keyboard, causing a laser to launch itself at Ringmaster Raven. He yelped and fell backwards, landing on the floor. When he awoke, his eyes were googly. Fierce Fox jumped down and landed right next to him. "You are my slave!" she commanded.

"I am your slave..." he answered.

"You will never hurt anyone ever again." Fierce Fox continued, her glare piercing. Edgar and I eyed each other.

"I will never hurt anyone ever again…" Ringmaster Raven repeated.

"And to make sure, from now on, you will believe that you are… let's see… a chicken!" Fierce Fox finished, grinning.

"I'm a chicken! Cluck cluck!" Ringmaster Raven cried. He flapped his arms and bopped his head.

"We stopped him!" Edgar said cheerfully.

"Just in time. Let's go get everyone out of those cages." Fierce Fox replied, smiling in relief. I was too. The scene cut to the next day. We were on the bridge near where the Ferris wheel was. The carnival was packed up and all connected by a big truck. All the carnies were normal, too. Fierce Fox and I approached Edgar, who was standing near the head of the truck.

"It sure feels good to no longer be under the Ringmaster's spell," he expressed. Fierce Fox nodded in agreement. "Running a carnival is a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about turning into a monster every night!"

"That's right," I said. I let my arms hang by my side. "So, what now?"

"It's the carnies' life for us. We're hitting the road," Edgar answered. "And we've got a brand new attraction!" He pulled the tarp off of a cage. Inside was Ringmaster Raven in a chicken suit. He clucked comedically. "Maybe we'll see you next time we're in town," Edgar continued. "Oh, and take this medallion. You'll never have to buy a ticket again!" He handed us the medallion.

I felt a little sad. "Well… see you, Edgar."

"Bye!" Edgar said, grinning. He climbed into the driver's seat; the trucks sped away. I waved a bit before the townspeople approached us.

"Thank goodness everything is back to normal!" the man exclaimed.

"I hope we don't have to wait another twenty years for the carnival to come back." the lady agreed. She and the man exited. They were replaced with the mechanic who works at Honest Gabe's.

"Dr. Dan is missing!" she cried. "Have you seen him?"

"Not since last night." Fierce Fox answered.

"He likes to take morning walks in the woods, but he's usually back by now," the mechanic continued. "I'm afraid he could be hurt." It wasn't exactly that. It was more like… he was actually a monster. We discovered this after we climbed over the creepy abandoned roller-coaster, which is deep in the woods. It's old and rusted, twisted in the ground by vines and roots. Dr. Dan was at the end, twitching nervously.

"You're… a monster?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

"Yes," Dr. Dan answered, shaking. "I've been hiding my true identity from the townspeople all these years."

"But why?" Fierce Fox asked.

"You saw how they treated Bird Boy!" Dr. Dan cried (Bird Boy is Ringmaster Raven- he was trying to hypnotize everyone because they kicked him out eons ago). "I couldn't let that happen to me. I've been working on a cure, but after last night, I can't go back into town."

"Maybe we can help." Fierce Fox said with determination.

"You can use my shop to make the chemical agent I need," Dr. Dan replied. "This is the recipe." He handed us a sheet of paper. "Hurry! I don't have much time." So, with that, we started creating the formula. The first ingredient was wild mushrooms, which were under the roller-coaster. Then it was diet cola (well, original cola, but there wasn't any) and some pickles from Honest Gabe's. Using those ingredients and the ChemoBUSTER-2000, we made a formula known as Chemical X.

With the formula, we returned to Dr. Dan. The formula, unfortunately, only made his condition worse. He now had a tail and horns.

"I don't understand," Fierce Fox exclaimed. "We followed the recipe: mushrooms, pickles, diet cola…"

"Diet?" Dr. Dan asked. "No wonder it didn't work. Everybody knows diet cola is a pale imitation of the real thing!"

"Some people prefer the low-calorie taste." Fierce Fox pointed out. I guess I couldn't disagree.

"I have no choice," Dr. Dan declared, head down. "I have to leave town. I can't let the townspeople know my secret." Then, the townspeople arrived: the kids, the man and woman and the mechanic.

"Dr. Dan!" the mechanic exclaimed. "There you are!"

"Stay back!" Dr. Dan yelled. "I've seen what people in this town do to monsters."

"Oh, Dr. Dan, is that what you think?" the mechanic asked with sympathy. "That we're here to hurt you? Everyone in this town loves you!"

"You cured my athlete's foot!" the man commented.

"Your compounds restored my Elan vital!" the woman added.

"And you're the best neighbour I've ever had," the mechanic finished. "We came out here because we were worried about you, Dr. Dan."

"You mean… I don't have to hide who I am anymore?" Dr. Dan asked hopefully.

"Monsters are the coolest!" the kids shouted. "Monsters, monsters!"

"I guess I won't need this after all," Dr. Dan said, handing us the Chemical X. "You're welcome to keep it. Maybe it'll do something for you." Then he followed the mechanic and everyone else. I smiled as my screen faded to white.


	42. Survival Ep 1 - Crash Landing

For the first time in Poptropica, ice crawled on my skin, forcing the hairs on my arms to stand straight up. Wires were wrapped around my chest, keeping me high above the soft snow. Our parachute was twisted in the leafless branches of trees. I pressed a button on my chest. The sensation of falling whooshed past me, and then Fierce Fox and I landed on the soft snow. The cold was digging into me, making my limbs shake. Tall, thick trees surrounded us, covered in snow and bushy leaves. Wind blew through my short hair. My scarf flowed gently.

"That was a rough landing!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. A frown was on her face.

"You don't say?" I asked, my teeth chattering. Even the cold can't take away my smart mouth.

"Brrrr, it's freezing," Fierce Fox said, rubbing her hands over her biceps. "We'd better keep moving."

"Right." I said. I stood up, shaking snow off of my boots. They weren't snow boots, but they kept the snow out. Well, it wouldn't have mattered what I wore. It was Poptropica. I could've worn a dress and wouldn't have been any less warm. I trudged through the snow- and to our convenience- found a survival handbook. I picked it up. "Alright. The whole point of this island is to survive, hence the name. Some of the handbook's pages are missing; we need to find them. We can start by following that bird." I was referring to a woodpecker pecking on a tree trunk. It saw me approaching and darted off into the breeze.

Fierce Fox and I followed the woodpecker, leaping across and darting under the trees. We picked up a few handbook pages on the way. And a few other things, such as logs to make a fire. Fierce Fox, being the natural athletic, caught up to the bird. We had to repeat this a few times. The last time was after we slid under a tree and across an icy surface. Fierce Fox found a squirrel; it raced up a tree.

"Where's he going?" she asked.

"This way." I answered. I leaped onto a tree and scaled the branches, reaching a bird's nest. The squirrel was inside a hole in the tree, behind the nest. The woodpecker was on the other side, pecking away. The squirrel was agitated by this and ran off. I picked up the nest, winking at Fierce Fox. After that, we arrived at a new area. There's a big, rocky cliff, covered in snow and surrounded by trees. Underneath a tree was some wet kindling, which is useless.

Past the cliff is a large, fallen over tree, which is like a burrow. Inside there is a caved-out space. There were a pair of red mittens in there that I let Fierce Fox have. Then we returned to the cliff and picked up a piece of paper on the highest tree. After that, we headed left to an area near a ravine. It's similar to the first area, apart from that ravine. Except a bit more spacious. We picked up another handbook page and continued exploring.

Underneath a tree-stump there was an axe. Fierce Fox, using her mittens, pulled the handle off of it. It was near a sheet of ice, a tree hanging over such ice. It's a pretty island if you take the time to admire it. To the left of the axe is the ravine and a stump with a handbook page under it. Just one more page.

In between some tree branches there's another parachute. It looks like something was attached to it. There's a handle we needed to pull; Fierce Fox did that. It reached out, creating a ladder. We passed that and found a backpack hanging on a branch. Inside there was a striker, which fell into the snow. We grabbed that and moved on.

"How much more is there to do?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Not too much," I answered. "There's a bit of a hard part coming up, but nothing too bad."

"Are we the only ones out here?" Fierce Fox asked. "Is there a villain?"

"We won't be seeing anyone else until the end of the third part," I answered. "This island's split into five parts- or episodes. The first three are mainly about exploring the wild… surviving, trying to get out. The fourth and fifth… well, they involve someone. And, to answer your second question, the someone is the villain."

"Great," Fierce Fox replied, groaning. "That's just great."

"We'll be fine." I assured her. "Come on. The last handbook page is this way." The last page was on the fallen tree, on this sticking-up branch. We grabbed that then headed past. There were burnt sticks in a pile, leftovers from someone who'd tried to make a fire. They're in front of an icy cave and a frozen waterfall. The icy cave is a part of a small hill which was carrying a boulder.

"Push that boulder with the axe handle," I instructed. "It'll reveal the cave." So Fierce Fox climbed onto the hill and pushed the boulder with help from the axe handle. It rolled down, clearing snow from the cave's entrance. The dark hole was now open, flint glistening around it. I picked up a piece of flint, then faced the cave. It's warmer inside there, but I felt chills. Chills of fear.

"So… are we ready?" Fierce Fox asked, leaping down beside me. I shook my head.

"Push that boulder one more time," I told her. "Then we'll have the perfect spot for a fire." Fierce Fox shrugged and did so. In front of the boulder was the perfect spot for a fire. I grinned. "Good. Now we just need the dry kindling from the cave and we're done." I shivered. "The cave." I walked over to the cave. I know, I've been in much worse than a cave. But fear doesn't die down for anything. It has no logic like that. "The. Cave."

"Yeah, I can see it's a cave," Fierce Fox said, appearing next to me. "Who's going in?"

"Oh why not." I sighed, staring at the cave. I entered it. It's completely pitch black and I could hear snores from a bear. Droplets trickled down from the ceiling, landing on floating platforms. I used these as a guide, though my legs trembled. I didn't like that bear. At the end of the cave is a beam of light, shining through dust and showing off a dry kindling. I grinned. Success! I swiped it from the platform and left the cave.

Fierce Fox and I stood near the boulder. There wasn't any wind there, so we could start a fire. Fierce Fox wiped some snow away with her mittens. I placed down the nest and set it on fire using the lighter and flint. Then I blew on the fire, my breath alighting the flame. After that, I placed on the dry kindling and logs. The fire radiated warmth. The feeling of satisfaction raced through me.

"Ahhh!" Fierce Fox exclaimed, grinning. "That feels nice!" The island medallion appeared around her neck. There was a flash of light; I appeared behind my computer screen, watching Fierce Fox sleep beside the fire in the vibrant sunrise. I grinned. I stopped grinning when I saw binoculars spying on my friend. I sighed. MVB, I thought. More villains. I'll never get enough of them.

THIRD PERSON

"She's gone," the assistant informed the master. He flicked his thick, white hair away from his glasses. "But she'll be back, won't she?"

"Of course, my good sir," the master replied, a dark grin spreading on his lips. "I'll be the greatest hunter known to man, once she's mine. For now, keep an eye on her and her friend."

"Yes sir." the assistant replied, swiftly nodding his head and leaving his master's office. He hated to doubt his master, but inside, fear twinged at him. She'd stopped a god. Could his master really stop her? She had help, he reminded himself. Lots of help. She won't be able to escape this… no other prey has.

"That's right," he told himself. "She won't escape."


	43. Survival Ep 2 - Hook, Line and Sinker

~THIRD PERSON~

Fierce Fox sat on her firework-designed quilt, gazing out of the window. It was a beautiful day as usual: bright, blue sky contrasting against white, puffy clouds. It seemed the weather never changed. This had always seemed odd to Fierce Fox: weather was very diverse on Mocktropica Island. It could go from a sunny day to pouring down rain in a matter of seconds. It depended how the developers were feeling. On Home Island, nothing really changed.

Perhaps that was why Fierce Fox was so courageous. She was born on an island where you always had to expect the unexpected. There were strange glitches everywhere, causing mayhem left right and center. Other islands weren't nearly half as chaotic. No wonder Fierce Fox had nothing to fear. Almost. There was something she did fear: Alice.

Alice, the girl from 'another world'. Fierce Fox's voice. What was this other world? Alice called it Earth. Poptropica was sometimes called Earth, too. She said humans lived there. Poptropicans could also be known as humans. But… there were differences. There weren't quests on Earth. People lived by routines. And the islands of Earth seemed much more similar to each other than Poptropica's islands did.

Fierce Fox knew that Poptropica was virtual. Her mother and father worked in the industry, so naturally, she shared some of their knowledge. Actually, quite a lot. She knew much more than Alice thought she did. She'd heard of Earth. And humans. Everything Alice had said. All thanks to her parents. But why did she act so surprised and unsure when Alice explained her world to her? A memory engulfed the young Poptropican…

"He's doing it again?" a young, pale, red-haired Poptropican asked her mother. The taller Poptropican peered down at her.

"Y'know what your dad's like," she answered. "Always tryna find that 'other world'. He gets too into that stuff. He'll never find it. We're not supposed 'ta find it."

"Can we stop him?" the small child asked, tugging on her mother's dress. Her mother sighed and shook her head.

"Let him do what he's gotta," she said, patting the child's head. "C'mon. We'll go see how your cousin's doing. Calls himself the 'safety inspector'."

"No," the young child said, turning away from her mother. "I'm gonna see Dad." She raced off, her red hair flowing behind her.

"Stubborn kid." the mother tutted, folding her arms. She followed at a slower pace. The child had entered the lush, grey apartment. She was racing to the room at the end of the hall. It was covered in signs saying 'stay out'. The child banged on the door until her knuckles hurt. No answer. So the child let herself in.

Her father's study room was very cluttered. Piles of books and papers had been knocked down and were spilled over the floor. A lamp had fallen onto the desk, which was covered in various diagrams and advertisements for Mega Fighting Bots. Posters of famous people covered the walls. It was far messier than normal. But Fierce Fox wasn't focused on that. She was focused on the figure lying on the floor.

"Dad…?" she asked. "Are you…"

"You'll regret it," the father murmured, sounding off. "You'll regret it all." He faced his daughter with haunting, blue eyes. "It will happen to you. You'll be apart of it. You'll destroy it all."

"What?" the child asked, taking a few steps backwards.

"Their world, their people," the father groaned. He shakily got up. His fists were clenched and his legs were bent. He looked like an attacker. "One of them will come here one day. One of them will control you. They'll make you destroy it. You'll be the cause of destruction." He pulled out a knife. The child screamed. "And I can't have that…"

Fierce Fox fell on the floor, panting heavily. That was the very reason she was scared of Alice. And the truth. The human had proven herself not to be evil, but what if the circumstances changed? Then, maybe, everything would be destroyed.

~ALICE~

Fierce Fox and I scaled down a conveniently-placed rope. Well, no. We were blown off of it while climbing down. We landed in the middle of a snow-covered forest. A large cliff is to the side. A handbook page was in one of the branches; I grabbed it. The book itself was beneath it- I grabbed that too. There's far less snow than the previous episode. I could see patches of grass peeking through the white blankets. Sticky mud's underneath rocks. And I didn't feel cold this time.

"Our whole aim is to catch a fish." I explained, my friend eyeing me. "So let's get one." I walked over to a rock which has mud underneath it. And some worms wiggling around. I picked up a few of the slimy creatures and placed them into my inventory. I instructed Fierce Fox to pick up a few more insects underneath muddy rocks. While she did that, I found a handbook page. I found the last one high in the branches of another tree. There are lots of trees (obviously).

"Okay, we're done with this area." I told Fierce Fox. I pointed to a log which was covering a hole in the ground. The hole leads to a new area. Fierce Fox and I headed down that hole, passing a dark, rocky cave. After the cave, we came to an area which has no trees whatsoever. Instead, there's a large dam for a family of beavers. The trees have been made into the beaver's home. Around the trees is icy water. Within the dam is a fishing hook.

"We'll never get that hook with the water level so high." Fierce Fox grumbled, glaring at the icy water.

"There's a way to fix that," I replied. "We need to drain the water, stop the beavers from stopping the water from draining, then get the hook once the water's drained." I leaped over the roof of the dam. There were three logs floating in the icy water. I bounded over those and got to the wall. My weight on the wall forced the dam to start draining.

The beavers, with their thick tails, attempted to stop the draining. Fierce Fox and I jumped onto the logs, banging their heads and preventing them from stopping the draining. Another moment where I was happy the R.S.P.C.A weren't watching. Though I still felt awful about it.

Eventually, we were able to reach the hook. After that, we leaped to dry land, which has more trees. Our old squirrel friend was hiding in one of them. It screamed at us. Not a very happy reunion. We picked up more insects underneath another muddy rock. Unfortunately, the dry land ended quickly. A large, icy lake was ahead of us. It's surrounded by trees with bouncy branches. One of the trees had a fishing rod on it- to our convenience. After grabbing that we bounded across the branches, reaching the other side.

On the other side of the lake is some more land. It has a rocky surface, fallen trees and small patches of snow. Past that is an area that has trees with weak trunks, thanks to the beavers. We shoved over all of the trees. I hoped any tree lovers weren't watching. One of the trunks landed in another icy river. It became like a boat. Fierce Fox and I climbed aboard, riding to the other side.

"Grab that." I told my partner. I was pointing at a shoe on a tree with its lace hanging down. Fierce Fox reached up and grabbed it. The other side has a thick, cliff wall, so we couldn't pass it. It also has a few trees. In one of these trees was a shoe. I climbed on top of the tree, Fierce Fox following. I attached the shoelace to the fishing rod, creating a long-ish line. The hook shimmered on the end.

I reeled the hook down, picking up the other shoe. I attached the second shoelace onto the rod, making a longer line. I grinned.

"Alright, we're almost ready to go fishing," I told Fierce Fox. "There's just one more thing we have to do." I led her back to the rocky area. It goes down then leads up, like a spout. Then it's the icy water which has icebergs covering it, blocking us from the fish. On top of the area is a boulder and a log. I winked at Fierce Fox.

I pushed a flat rock down the rocky area and put it over a gap. While I did that, Fierce Fox shoved that log onto a ledge, creating a downwards platform for the boulder. Now the boulder had a clear path. Fierce Fox shoved all her strength onto that boulder. I leaped out of the way as it shoved past me and crashed into the water. The ice was all gone.

"Ice going!" Fierce Fox cried, making an awful pun. I rolled my eyes and got to the spout. I placed a worm on the hook, then reeled the rod down. After a few seconds, I felt a strong tug. I reeled in, revealing my catch. I smirked in satisfaction. We'd caught a fish. My vision turned to white; I was behind my computer desk. I saw Fierce Fox enjoying her cooked catch. Then I saw her face on a camera. That camera belonged to MVB. I sighed.

"MVB," I muttered. "We'll see what you've got planned."


	44. Survival Ep 3 - Distress Signal

~THIRD PERSON~

"Your dad ain't giving up on his work," the older woman sighed, lacing her fingers together. She gazed at her daughter. "He's got himself into way too much. Seems like he's being controlled by it all. Probably why he attacked you."

"I hate him." the young red-haired girl spat back, folding her arms.

"Yeah," the older woman agreed. She pursued her lips. "Any dofus can see why. Your dad's losing his marbles. But we've got nothing else."

"I'll never help him with his stupid research." the girl growled, clenching her fists. "I'll never help any of you. And if a… 'human' ever comes here, I'll beat them up!"

"Now you're getting too into it," the mother asserted, tilting her head. "Our family's got a big part in the business. It won't run if we're not there."

"Well, you and dad can do it without me," the girl snapped. She stood up, shoulders hunched. She walked off with heavy steps. "I'll never help you."

"C'mon, girl…" the mother pleaded, but her daughter did not look back. She was stubborn. Her mother slid back on the wall, shaking her head. "Family's falling apart…"

~ALICE~

A cool breeze blew through my short, blonde hair. The sky's light and dark blue mixed together, splashing across the sky like a painting. Small, puffy clouds float around, contrasting against the blue. Fierce Fox and I were standing on a grassy hill, which has a tree with a split hole. Light snow covers the ground. Next to that is a radio antenna- we could use that to call for help.

We entered the base of the radio antenna. There was a note on a silver platform beneath the radio antenna. Black and red wires were underneath a busted pipe. The note was about the radio antenna going out of business (let's just say the note was not very formal) and how to make a battery. We grabbed those two items then headed right.

The right leads to a forest. It's not as vast as the previous forest. Grass peeks out from the light snow. The trees are starting to grow leaves. Also, there are some plane parts in some of the trees.

"This way." I told Fierce Fox. We climbed up the bouncy trees, reaching something very shocking: a destroyed plane caught between two trees, high above a ravine. The windows were smashed, the wings were gone, and the walls creaked. The plane was from Mews Corp. Like the guy on Cryptids Island. Cautiously, my friend and I headed inside. The plane rumbled from our weight as we stepped forward. Concerning. Inside, we found a clipboard and a radio. However, we couldn't grab the radio as the plane tipped backwards, forcing us to slide out.

"We need to find a way to get that radio!" Fierce Fox exclaimed.

"We will, don't worry," I replied. "Also, the plane was carrying all the items we found previously. It has a few more things we need to get that radio. And the clipboard also says not to trust someone called MVB. I don't wanna spoil anything, but whoever said that has good advice."

"Alright, then," Fierce Fox said, nodding. "So, what now?"

"It's time to get that radio." I answered. We headed right. We came to an icy lake full of rocks and icebergs. One rock has a plane wing balanced on it like a see-saw. We walked over that and came to another grassy area. It's covered in trees and light snow. One tree has the end of the plane stuck in its branches. Inside there are some nails. Fierce Fox, with my instruction, grabbed some.

Meanwhile, caught in a branch was a pocket knife. I picked that up, causing the branch to fall. Fierce Fox and I met between two trees which were carrying a crate of lemons and a branch on some rope. They were connected like a set of weights.

"We'll come back to these." I told my friend. "This way." We returned to the plane. The nose was stuck on a loose branch. Using the pocket knife, I set it free. The plane's head fell down and crash-landed on the lowest branch. "Honour's yours." I told Fierce Fox, pointing at the plane. She shrugged and headed inside. A few seconds later, the plane dipped downwards, pointing at the ravine. It kept inching closer and closer, but Fierce Fox clambered out alive. The plane disappeared into the ravine once she was safe. Fierce Fox glared at me.

"Do you have to throw me into all the dangerous situations?" she asked, gritting her teeth. I shrugged.

"Well, at least you have the radio." I replied. Fierce Fox snorted. I jumped off of the tree and raced off before my Poptropican could say anymore. I stopped at the lake where the plane-wing-see-saw is. In the middle of the lake there's an island with a chewed tree on it. I pulled out the pocketknife and finished the job; the tree landed on the see-saw. On the tree was a small, leather satchel. The inside's full of coins. I grabbed the copper coin, the only one we needed. I nodded at Fierce Fox.

"It's time to get some lemons." I told her. We headed back to that area with the lemons. I leaped to the top, finding the branch that would make the lemon crate move up and down. I cut it from the rest of the tree using a pocketknife; I started moving downwards. I pulled out the trusty pocketknife again and sliced the rope. The crate of lemons sailed down from the sky and smashed open when impacting the ground. It almost hit me; the hairs on my arms were standing up. I slowly grabbed a lemon.

"So… can we fix the radio now?" Fierce Fox asked. I gave her the thumbs up. Well, not really. Poptropicans don't have thumbs. So I just smiled. Anyway, we began making the radio. I stuck the copper penny into the lemon. Fierce Fox stuck a nail in. Then we wrapped the wires around them and switched the radio on. It lit up. Success.

"Just gotta get to the antenna." I said, smiling. "And we're done." With that in mind, we returned to the radio antenna. We headed past where we'd got the items and started climbing up. Well, first, we pulled a lever and got a ladder. Then we started climbing up.

The radio tower is bronze and covered in thick rust. It shook from my every step. Fierce Fox and I worked together to reach the top, which involved shoving connectors off of platforms. We also used gravity to move certain platforms. And moved more connectors to reach ladders. Not the most exciting activities.

We reached the top. There are satellite dishes surrounding a ladder which takes you to the very top. Fierce Fox and I got there. I admired the blue sky right above our heads and the view beyond us. Almost magical. I placed the radio on the ground. Fierce Fox cleared her throat.

"Mayday! Mayday!" she cried. "We need rescue!" There were a few suspenseful moments of silence.

"We read you," someone replied. "Stand by and we'll send a chopper."

"Thank you!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. "Who is this?"

"This is Myron Van Buren," the person answered. I gave Fierce Fox a look. "Stay where you are."

"Myron Van Buren… MVB?" Fierce Fox asked, looking back at me. I nodded. A gold medallion flashed and appeared around her neck. I appeared behind my computer screen. I watched MVB's helicopter pick my friend up. I gulped. I've just gotta be ready, I thought. I've just gotta be ready.


	45. Survival Ep 4 - Cabin Fever

The sky is ink-black and full of twinkling stars. It'd been awhile since I'd seen the sky so clear. Trees surround a large, wooden cabin, nearby where the helicopter landed. That cabin was MVB's house. Fierce Fox and I exited the helicopter, following MVB- a bearded man wearing an animal-hunting suit. The wooden cabin ahead appeared friendly: brightly lit up windows and chimneys you'd imagine Santa would climb down. The saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' really fits in here.

I shot Fierce Fox a glance as we entered MVB's cabin. It had wooden walls; pictures of possibly MVB's ancestors; a fireplace with a moose head above it; wooden stairs. MVB paused in front of the fireplace and faced us.

"You're lucky we found you!" he exclaimed. Yeah, sure, I thought. "And just in time for tomorrow's big hunt."

"We'd really rather go home." Fierce Fox said. I nodded in agreement.

"Nonsense," MVB replied, eyeing me. "You shan't pass up an opportunity to hunt with the greatest big game hunter in the world! Why don't you come and see my trophy room?" He put his arm around my shoulders and directed us to his trophy room. I squirmed uncomfortably. Fierce Fox tilted her head, shooting me a glance.

We arrived in MVB's trophy room, which had the most taxidermy, animal skins and animal heads I'd ever seen. I'm not an animal lover, but even I hate killing animals for sport and 'trophies'. Seems like cruelty. Another reason I hate MVB. I resisted the urge to smack his arm off of my shoulder as he talked about his 'greatest hunts' and introduced us to his elderly butler, Winston.

"Winston, please inform the chef that we are ready for supper, and then prepare our guests' quarters for the night." MVB told Winston after some more talking.

"At once, m'lord." Winston said, nodding. He walked off. MVB turned to Fierce Fox and myself, keeping his eyes on me like I was one of his trophies.

"As for you, dear friends, join me for dinner in the banquet room," he said, smiling. "And don't tarry!" I led Fierce Fox out of the trophy room so we wouldn't have to put up with that narcissistic man anymore.

"What's his deal?" Fierce Fox asked, crinkling her nose. "Something doesn't feel right about him..."

"As I mentioned before, he can't be trusted," I told Fierce Fox. "He's going to poison us, lock us in a room, then try to hunt us."

"What?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised. She firmly gripped her Lightning Staff. "We're not going to let him do that." Her eyes lit up. "I know what we can do. I've got an idea."

"Is it a good one?" I asked. Fierce Fox gave me a grin that made me concerned.

"Yes," she replied. "With this plan, things will… really heat up."

Fierce Fox and I were seated at the end of a long, wooden table in the kitchen. MVB was on the other side, consuming steak just like ours (except it wasn't poisoned). Like in every other part of the house, there were animal heads. There were also regular kitchen objects such as a sink. Fierce Fox and I pretended to eat the poisoned steak and fall asleep, just like in the original island. Winston and some other servants came over to pick us up. I gave Fierce Fox a tiny wink.

"Place them in separate rooms," MVB ordered, grinning with satisfaction. "And make sure there is no escape." The servants started carrying us up the stairs. Suddenly, Fierce Fox awoke with a jolt, her eyes wide. Her hair flowed down her back and her Lighting Staff sizzled.

"HEY!" she shouted. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" The servants gasped in surprise and dropped Fierce Fox. MVB raised his brow. Fierce Fox clenched her fists. "Tryna take me away, huh?! Well, try harder!" She raced down the stairs at full speed. Using her phone with a recorded message, she passed the locked door and bolted outside into the darkness.

"AFTER HER!" MVB ordered, Winston blowing the hunting horn. MVB turned to Winston. "Stay with the prophesied hero. My other servants and I will go after the other." Winston nodded and watched his master and other servants exit the building. Winston stared intensely at me as I lied still on the stairs.

"Sorry, Winston." I apologized, standing up. I gave Winston the biggest shove my arms could produce; he tumbled down the stairs and hit his head on the fireplace. He was knocked out. Perfect, I thought, jumping down myself. I picked up two candles attached to the fireplace. Even though I despise MVB, I couldn't help but feel bad about what I was going to do. Oh well, I thought. He deserves this.

I placed one candle underneath the wooden wall. I used the other one to set fire to a tapestry. Sure enough, the tapestry set on fire, sending the smell of smoke through the air. I covered my mouth and went towards the door.

"I smell fire!" the chef exclaimed, exiting the kitchen. She noticed the burning tapestry and wall. She glared at me. "Did you do this?!"

"Uh… bye!" I squeaked back, heading towards the exit. It was still open, so I went through.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" the chef yelled viciously, holding up a cleaver. Fear tickled my skin.

"What's going…" Winston said, dazedly shaking his head. He was still leaning against the fireplace. His eyes lit up. "Oh no! A fire!"

"I'll get you for this!" the chef screamed, charging towards me. Her cleaver shimmered in the pale moonlight. With my life on the line, I jumped out of the way.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled. "This wasn't my idea! And, thinking about it…" I shook my head. "I'm not really sure if I like this idea anymore."

"Well, it's too late to go back! Now you'll pay!" the chef roared, charging at me again, swinging her cleaver. It cut me in the arm. Not again! I thought irritably, holding my aching arm. My legs were trembling, which was making it hard to dodge. The chef got me in the knee. Ouch.

"Help!" I heard Winston cry. He was trapped in the burning cabin, which now had fire coming out the roof. It looked very smoky in there. The chef slashed me across the chest. I tried to ignore the stabbing pain suddenly erupting from my chest, which joined in with my leg and arm pain.

"I knew MVB was going to trap me," I confessed, gazing at the furious chef. "My friend and I didn't want that." The chef tried to hit me again. Winston was starting to sound desperate from within the burning building. "Winston! Are you…" My legs carried me to the burning building.

"Hey! You can't save him!" the chef yelled, raising her brow. She frowned. "Get back here!" But I was already entering the burning cabin. Smoke and fire was coming from everywhere, covering everything in a red haze. My lungs were gasping for air. Winston was lying on the ground, nearby some burning logs. I reached out my hand; he grabbed it and stood up. I led him out of the burning building, my brain a mess. It seemed my legs had a mind of their own. I can't blame them, especially since one was disabled in my world.

"You actually went in?" the chef asked. "And survived?" She shook her head. "You are crazy."

"Thanks…" Winston panted, coughing up smoke. I coughed up some as well, my vision turning hazy. My body was feeling weak. I couldn't stand anymore.

"I'm… sorry," I breathed. "I… I… I can…"

"I knew… we wouldn't catch… you," Winston assured me, breathing deeply. "I didn't… think you'd do this…" He sighed. "I'm angry yet grateful at you… so, in that matter, I won't help you. I'm not on your side. However, I will give you this." He handed me the island medallion.

"Oh… thanks." I told him; the medallion glimmered. White overcame my vision, despite the fact that Fierce Fox wasn't there. I appeared behind my computer screen. Fierce Fox had been caught by the hunters and was being dragged back to the burning house. Until the hunters realized it was burning. I saw an enraged MVB, then the screen went black. I had a bad feeling about episode 5. And a lot of regret about today's episode.

What have we done?


	46. Survival Ep 5 - Escape

Shivers crept down my spine when I read a ransom note that had appeared in front of my face. It said,

Dearest Alice,

We have your friend Fierce Fox. Turn yourself in within 12 hours at the old sawmill or she will become the quarry.

Sincerely, MVB.

The formality just made the letter more agitating. I sighed and slumped back on a rock. A rock! I jumped at that. I was inside a dark, underground, dirt cave. There are platforms with small, sharp rocks in the dirt, and resources for someone who lived there. Light lightens up the entire cave, and ropes hang from the roof. I laid my head on the rock, feeling slightly dizzy. He's probably furious, especially after burning down his... The note was in my lap. I had no idea where it came from.

"Got you now, you swine!" someone jeered. This someone is an elderly, dark-skinned man with rough grey hair, posh clothing and a pegleg. He waddled over to me. "Wait - you're not Van Buren."

"No, but I've got a ransom note from him," I told the man, whose name is Max McGullicutty. "He…" I gulped. "He kidnapped my friend. And now he wants… to hunt her. Unless I give myself in at the old sawmill." I burned his house down. Don't I deserve a punishment?

"Van Buren, that dirty thing," Max grumbled, shaking his head. "I've been on the run from him for over a year now, waiting for someone like you to show up. I've been able to survive underground even with this gammy leg - but with your help, we can turn the tables on Van Buren… and save your friend!"

"That's good... I guess." I replied with a subtle frown. Will we succeed? Do I want to succeed? Fear welled up inside me. "What do we do?"

"The old sawmill is the perfect place for us to spring a trap and a rescue mission," Max informed me. "We'll need a rope, a gear, and a whistle. Get those, and then we'll capture Van Buren. Once we capture him, we can save your friend."

I took a deep breath. "I can do it… I think." I don't know. I gathered all the courage I could find in my system. This is for Fierce Fox, I told my cowardly self. She needs you. So, with this new determination, I grabbed a fishing pole from the lower part of the cave. Then I exited the cave and came to this small section before the surface. The remaining snow was sludgy; there was little of it. Browny-yellow grass covered everything, including thick rocks and bushy trees. The forest is quite beautiful. It's a shame I was too scared to admire it.

I hid behind some tall grass, spying on MVB. He was patrolling, holding out a gun. There's a reason Poptropica is aged to 15 years (and older, heh). I climbed up a tall, leafless tree. I nearly slipped off a branch; thank everything for instincts. I leaped across to another tree, not daring to make a sound. Breathing was starting to get difficult due to my anxiety.

I got to the right tree branch. I pulled out the fishing rod and reeled it down. The hook picked up a whistle and reeled it up. I sighed with relief as I clutched the golden whistle in my hand. I wanted to get myself caught so I could restart and get to the starting position easier. However, it would feel like I was cheating… and failure doesn't sit well on my shoulders, so I didn't do that. Instead, I stealthily climbed down into the hole and went to the next area, via an underground passage.

I arrived at the next area. I took another deep breath. The underground part is quite muddy and full of toadstools. There was a rock that could be flipped, so naturally I flipped it. I balanced it on another rock, so it became a platform. I waited until the sniffer dog was gone, then I leaped onto the muddy surface area. I flipped another rock. The dog was returning, so I jumped behind a bush. Strangely, the dog didn't smell me, even though I was basically right next to it.

I continued this process and put the rock onto another ledge. I jumped up the rock and landed on a grass-covered rock platform. From there, I shoved a broken tree down from a cliff. It landed on another platform, creating a bridge (quite a lot of landing and jumping and platforms- this is Poptropica, after all). I raced across the bridge and came onto another platform. There's a tree right next to this platform, which was holding up a trapped grizzly bear with rope. Really cruel. Now I actually wanted the RSPCA to be watching. I freed the bear; it fell down with a mighty crash. It left behind the rope.

I returned to the underground space and headed right. The underground area stopped and curved upwards, leading to the surface. A tree is in front of me, holding a trap. It's not the only trap, unfortunately. There are rocks surrounding a bed of water and creating walls. There are also trees and other plants. I jumped over the tree trap and landed in the water. I swam underneath a rock, which is holding a trap. A large tree was blocking my path; I climbed up its branches. The last branch was rather bouncy; I did countless flips.

A trap was beside my head, and a dog was walking above my head. I waited for the dog to leave before I leaped through the center of the trap. Yes, I survived. I came to the area where the dog was patrolling. I leaped into a bush and waited for it to pass me. When it did, I climbed over a tree, ran across a space, and found a waterfall. It's quite beautiful. It has long, frozen streams, and rocks surrounding it. In the middle of the waterfall is a log being held up. Beneath it is another log, and another.

I got to the bottom and landed in a pool of water. There's a pile of logs holding up a cage. In the cage was a trapped beaver. I released it; it swam away. After that I received the gear. It went into my inventory; I grinned. I finally had everything I needed to save Fierce Fox.

"Perfect!" Max admired, grinning at my work. "Take that equipment to the sawmill and set up a trap for Van Buren. Once you've trapped him…"

"...free my friend," I finished. "Got it." Hopefully. I headed left and came to the area just below the sawmill. It's a beautiful wooden building that shows age with cobwebs and rotting planks. A metal cage held a furious Fierce Fox, who was glaring at MVB. When MVB's back was turned, I crept into the sawmill. Fierce Fox's eyes lit up. She opened her mouth to say something, but I silenced her.

"Shh," I whispered. "I'm getting you out." Water covers the metal floor and sunshine creeps through cobwebs. I placed the gear on the rusty sawmill. It turned the sawmill on; a large, wooden wheel started spinning around. I leaped up to the top and set up the rope. That way, when someone stepped on the step connected to the sawmill, a cage would fall down and trap them. However, I knew MVB wasn't going to fall for that. Luckily, I had another idea.

I headed back downstairs and blew the whistle. I whipped around and faced MVB.

"Ah-ha!" I yelled, grabbing his shirt with all the fury I could produce and shoving him towards the step. He retaliated at the last second and stood up, storming towards me. "Uh oh…"

"Very clever!" MVB sneered, holding out his gun. The sawmill was behind me. "You nearly had me. But no one outfoxes Myron Van Buren."

"How about Fierce Fox?" Fierce Fox asked, riding the bear from before. Max McGullicutty was also on the bear's back. Fierce Fox's cage had a large hole in it made from bear claws. It was quite terrifying; even I got chills.

"Ah!" MVB yelled, flying backwards. I leaped out of his way. He was very close to the sawmill. "You fools! You can't defeat me! It's time to add a new trophy to my collection!" He aimed his gun at me.

"Why?" I demanded, clenching my fists.

"You destroyed my house!" MVB answered, baring his teeth. "And now it's time for my revenge. You shall feel fury like never before!"

"The only fury you'll feel is this!" Fierce Fox retorted, charging towards MVB, lightning staff out. She karate-kicked him onto the sawmill. He got caught on such thing and started spinning around. "You deserve this!"

"You deserve this for destroying my house!" MVB roared back, as he was slapped in the face by beavers. Part of me actually agreed with him.

"I'm glad all those trophies were burnt up," Max expressed. "But did you really set his house on fire?" Fierce Fox nodded enthusiastically. I shrugged half-heartedly. "I guess you've already had revenge then, haven't you…" His expression was mixed. So was mine. Fierce Fox, on the other hand, looked proud as she received the medallion. I didn't feel proud. I just felt… bad. I couldn't even enjoy the relief of Fierce Fox's return.

I'm sorry, I thought.


	47. Mission Atlantis 1: Into the Deep

"It's nice to have you over, Alice," Mighty Penguin said, grinning at me. We were seated on his couch, in his sleek, modern house. The walls are pale blue and the floor is soft, grey carpet. The couch is big, red and fluffy, with a wooden coffee table in front of it. A TV, naturally, is on the wall. It was playing football, I think. "I mean, the last time we saw each other…"

"...we had to save the world," I finished, sighing. "I know." I took a sip of the lemonade Mighty Penguin allowed me to have. "Um, recently… I set this psychopath's house on fire. I know he's bad and all, but… I can't help but feel… guilty."

"I kinda agree that's a bit extreme, even for a psycho," Mighty Penguin admitted, shaking his head. "But… is he in jail?"

"Yeah. Fierce Fox told the police he tried to kill us." I explained.

"Well then he won't need his house anymore." Mighty Penguin laughed. Then he looked serious. "Still, Al… y'know. But I think you've done worse, right? With the whole Zeus and Louisa business. Yet again, just apologize to him or something. I dunno. You'll figure something out. I'm not so good with the whole forgiving and apologizing thing."

"Okay," I said, tapping my chin. "Thanks, Mighty Penguin." I eyed him. "So, were you born here? On Time Tangled Island?"

"Uh-huh," Mighty Penguin replied, smiling. "Because of this island, I'm never late for anything… And I care about timezones a lot, heh."

"I saw all those clocks in your room." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Just a thing growing up here." Mighty Penguin said, shrugging. He flipped his baseball cap around on his head. "So, what about you? Where did you grow up? Aren't you, like, supposed to be from another world or something?"

"Um… yeah," I told him. "This place called Earth. It's sort of like here… but sort of not. We don't have island quests, medallions, super powers and adventures. We just have… lives. Going to school, working, and so on."

"Oh," Mighty Penguin said, looking away. I saw a glimmer in his eyes. "Sounds… boring."

"For a thrill-seeker like you, it would be," I laughed, fingering my scarf. "But for me… it's half my life."

"Mmm," Mighty Penguin replied, daydreaming. "Boring, yeah."

"Yeah…" I said, feeling awkward. It seemed Mighty Penguin wasn't telling me something. But what? I'd felt that way with Fierce Fox, too. It seemed everyone was hiding things from me.

Fierce Fox and I landed on a large, silver, oil-coated boat in the middle of the ocean. The sun's high above our heads, sprinkling sunlight upon us. There are various boat materials onboard, such as ropes, donut holes, and so on. A famous film director called Cam Jameson was in front of us. He had an anxious expression.

"What's going on?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"I need help filming some underwater footage of these fish," Cam explained. He handed us a file full of descriptions. "Find the key to the sub and we'll make the greatest fish story ever told!"

"Probably won't be able to top Finding Nemo," I told him. "But we'll do it anyway." I gestured Fierce Fox to follow me. I led her over to a dark green, dirty, pole. It and some others held up the hoists to the ship. On one was a silver bucket full of water. With my instruction, Fierce Fox removed the water by tipping it onto some vain guy's helmet. She then filled up the bucket with oil and repeated the process. The guy was so disgusted he dropped the key to the sub, since it was locked in a crate.

Fierce Fox picked up the key. We went over to the crate which held the sub. Cam looked overjoyed.

"Success!" he exclaimed. "One of you take the sub-"

"Only one?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. She gazed at me.

"I'm afraid so," Cam nodded with a frown. "One of you can stay here with me and we'll keep touch by radio."

"Well?" Fierce Fox asked, staring at me.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, chewing my lip. I lowered my voice. "I can tell you what to do via the radio. We'll still be connected that way. If there's anything wrong… or you see something, I can help you."

"You don't really feel up to doing this, do you?" Fierce Fox asked, snorting.

"Well, truthfully…" I laughed nervously. "After that MVB thing, I… I think I could use a break."

"Fine." Fierce Fox sighed. She smirked. "Well, I'm always up for an adventure." And, with that, she climbed into the small, yellow, pod-shaped vehicle. She disappeared under the sea.

~THIRD PERSON~

"How do I use this thing?" Fierce Fox grumbled under her breath, pressing buttons on the monitor.

"Just… move left and right." Alice's fuzzy voice came from the radio. Fierce Fox sighed and obliged; the sub moved left and right. The Poptropican shrugged her shoulders and continued her descent. The blue waters surrounded her pod, crowded with various fish. As she headed further down, she saw colourful coral sitting on thick rocks. A red and green sea dragon approached her.

"There's a sea dragon. Track it down and record some footage!" Cam's voice buzzed from the radio.

"Take a picture of it." Alice translated. "Use your ship's camera. Make sure everything stays still."

"How do you know what to do?" Cam asked Alice. He sounded inquisitive.

"I work with ships a lot." Alice lied quickly. Fierce Fox waved it off and hovered nearby the sea dragon, taking an image of it.

"Good work, but the really good stuff is down a lot deeper!" Cam told the Poptropican.

"Go down some more." Alice added. Fierce Fox nodded and drove down, discovering more rocks and sea life. She drove into a rocky, maze-like area, which is full of plants, geysers and strange fish. "Look for the Barreleye," Alice instructed. "It's in a tunnel thingy. You'll need to flush it out using the geysers before you can take a picture of it."

"How do you know that?" Cam asked, sounding slightly suspicious.

"I… just know things." Alice answered, her voice wavering.

"Wait… you're the prophesied hero, aren't you?" Cam asked, now excited.

"Uh…" Fierce Fox didn't bother to listen to Alice's response. She covered a geyser blowing out hot bubbles using her pod. The force pushed the strange-looking fish inside a rock tunnel downwards. Fierce Fox repeated this process a few times before the fish was out in the open.

"Y-you got the shot," Cam was in the middle of laughter. "G-good job!" He snorted afterwards. Alice giggled in the background. Fierce Fox bared her teeth.

"Where next?" she asked, clenching her fists.

"Left," Alice answered, snickering. "Find a few small, red fish around those rocks, then go to the Angler Fish's cave. Take a picture of it while it's eating."

"I can't believe your uncle actually went to that school," Cam laughed, talking to Alice. "I mean, when I was a boy..." Fierce Fox blocked out their silly conversation and focused on finding the Angler Fish. She explored the rocky maze, finding small, red fish, hiding in various places. They seemed to like her and stuck nearby her. She almost felt guilty for leading them to their demise. But Alice and Cam chit-chatting in the background was driving her up a wall. She grumpily escorted the small, red fish to the Angler Fish's cave. The Angler Fish, with its sharp, pointy teeth, snapped up all of the fish. Fierce Fox stood still and took a picture, enjoying the satisfaction.

"Great filming," Cam commented, still laughing. "We got her!" His voice changed; he was obviously speaking to Alice. "And then my dad ran out of the house-"

"What next?" Fierce Fox interrupted. She needed to find a way to silence that irritable radio. She had returned to the area where she caught the Barreleye. Just past it is two walls, covered in various seaweed. Most of it is purple. One cluster of seaweed is red. There are a few red cuttlefish hiding in the seaweed. There is also a purple one.

"There's a purple cuttlefish you need to take a picture of," Alice explained. "Just get it into the red seaweed by swapping the order of the cuttlefish." Her voice lit up. "Go on, Cam. Was your dad chasing the dog again?"

"Of all people to get distracted…" Fierce Fox grumbled, tightening her fists around the controls. She neared the red cuttlefish, forcing them to swap places. Eventually, the patch of red seaweed was free. Fierce Fox directed the purple cuttlefish to sit in it; she took a picture.

"Good job!" Cam quickly congratulated.

"Now go down and see the Stonefish," Alice quickly instructed. "Just hide in some coral and take a picture." Her voice changed again. "So, what did your grandma do again?" Fierce Fox's face flushed red, but she didn't speak. She drove downwards. Indeed, near a small cave covered by coral, a Stonefish lurks nearby some stones. Fierce Fox hid in such coral; the Stonefish came right out. Fierce Fox filmed the large, grey fish, a grin plastered on her face. Cam didn't even bother to congratulate her this time.

Instead, he exclaimed, "Look, a Hydromedusa!" Alice stopped laughing immediately. "That's definitely a fish we should film. Don't let it get away!" With that, Fierce Fox used full power, and chased after the fish.

~ALICE~

Fear, for the first time that day, prickled my skin. I knew Fierce Fox would be fine in the end, but I knew she wouldn't be prepared for now. Game physics apply, I soothed myself, taking a deep breath. My new friend Cam eyed me cautiously.

"Are you okay, Alice?" he asked. I nodded quickly. Cam and I had formed an acquaintanceship after I told him about me being the prophesied hero. Cam said something about his nephew who goes to a fancy private school learning about me, then I told him about my uncle going to a fancy private school when he was young, and it all started from there. Fierce Fox had looked slightly irritated about something. Probably us. I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

"Great, now keep him in front of the camera to finish the shot." Cam instructed Fierce Fox. Suddenly, I heard a scream from her end.

"What the heck is that?!" Fierce Fox screamed. Then the radio blacked out for a few moments.

"Fierce Fox?!" Cam asked, acting panicked. "Is she okay?!"

"I… think so." I attempted to stay determined. I tried booting up the radio again. Cam was peering over my shoulder; we watched the radio in intense silence. Then we heard a muffled voice.

"You are not gonna believe this," it was Fierce Fox's voice. "I wish I could describe it… but…"

"Hold on." Cam turned the camera for the sub on. It showed a crashed, alien civilization. It was completely black with glimmering, pink windows. "Oh… we've got something, alright."

"I think we'll need a bigger lense." I added, swallowing. Especially when I saw something dark moving amongst the shadows.


	48. Mission Atlantis 2: Fortress of the Deep

~THIRD PERSON~

Fierce Fox eyed the tall rocks surrounding the alien spaceship. It was shaped like an island that had been pulled out of the Earth. The pink windows gleamed in the pale light and the blue water bubbled. Cautiously, Fierce Fox drove the sub towards the structure. She passed a rocky entrance and came to a pink, glass wall. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey!" Alice's voice came through the radio. "It's me! Smash through those pink walls. Then take pictures of the glyphs."

"Alright." Fierce Fox replied. She rammed her ship into the glass; it shattered, giving her a clear path. The ship seemed to be made of grey walls, tubes, strange symbols and things that Fierce Fox didn't understand. There was a glyph on the grey wall.

"Yeah! Take a picture of that one!" Alice told her. Cam clapped in the background. Fierce Fox focused her camera on the glyph, keeping it steady. The light flashed. She got a picture.

"You got the shot." Cam told her, sounding pleased. Fierce Fox grinned and headed forward. She found a strange, silver, circular door, nearby an old, tall, glowing chair. The door was divided into three parts, each illustrated with a different sea creature. "What is this place?" Cam asked. The realization hit Fierce Fox like a bullet.

"It's a city! An enormous underwater city!" she answered, grinning broadly. She shined the light on the door.

"Is that a doorway?" Cam asked, staring at the door. "There must be a way to open it. Look around!"

"We can open it," Alice told Fierce Fox. "Head down first. It's the room with the puffer fish." Fierce Fox obliged and drove downwards. She came to a room with dirty gray walls and a pink tubular system. The system led to a containment area. However, the system had been jumbled up, much like other pipe puzzles in Poptropica. Fierce Fox waited for Alice's instructions. "Okay, first head down and take a picture of the glyph there."

Fierce Fox drove past the tubular system and found the glyph. Using the sub's camera, she took a picture.

"You got it." Cam told her. Fierce Fox smirked and drove up to the system. She cleared her throat.

"Okay," Alice began. "There's a piece in one of those tubes which you'll need to open that doorway. To get that piece, you'll need to fit all the tubes together, loop them around, and make sure they end at the tube with the piece."

"Got it." Fierce Fox replied. She drove the sub over to the pipes and began switching them around so they formed a path. Indeed, there was a pizza-slice-shaped piece of stone inside a tube, which Fierce Fox ended the path at. She pushed the red button.

A puffer fish came out of a tube, went through the system, popping out of the tube with the piece. Fierce Fox grabbed the piece. It went into her inventory.

"Great!" Alice told her. "Now you need to power something. You see that containment? Make the path flow all the way to there. Then push the button again." Alice, with her directions, helped Fierce Fox switch around the tubes, turning them into a path. Fierce Fox pressed the button. The fish flowed through the path again, ending up in the containment. It glowed pale orange.

"I don't think that's been powered on for ages!" Cam noticed.

"Okay, that's one part," Alice told Fierce Fox. "Now go up. Going that way will take you to the room with the hydromedusae." Fierce Fox headed that way. She came to a room with many different dark grey layers and platforms. There were pink power-points in the wall that were connected by pink cords. The power-points powered different doorways. Beneath Fierce Fox were a collection of glowing hydromedusae.

"Just get a hydromedusa to follow you," Alice explained. "Once one does, lead it over to a power-point thing. That will open a door somewhere else. Make sure you do this to all the power-points. Once you've got all the doors open, grab the pieces. Watch out for electric eels, and make sure the hydromedusae don't sting you."

"Here I go." Fierce Fox replied. She drove down to the Hydromedusa: the strange, jellyfish like creatures. One of them began following her. She drove away at a relative speed: not too slow, not too fast. The creature bobbed up and down in the water. Fierce Fox stopped in front of a power-point. The creature attached itself onto it, charging it up. A door opened beneath Fierce Fox, in a small area created by dark grey walls.

Fierce Fox went to retrieve another hydromedusa. She led it into the area. At the back of the area was a power-point; the hydromedusa attached itself onto such thing. On the floor was a piece, which Fierce Fox grabbed. She grinned proudly and went to get yet another hydromedusa. She led it to a clear space in between the walls. There was a power-point there. Fierce Fox let the hydromedusa attach to it, while avoiding the eel. That opened a door above her.

Fierce Fox drove up there. In front of the small area was a glyph, which Fierce Fox snapped a picture of. Then she drove into the small area, picking up a large piece of stone.

"Just a few more hydromedusae," Alice told her. "This part's the hardest because you have to dodge an eel. After that, there's another glyph you need to take a picture of. Then it's the next room." Fierce Fox nodded and let a hydromedusa follow her. It opened one door in another area on the right. Fierce Fox grabbed another hydromedusa and opened the second door. Well, not before avoiding the electric eel blocking her path. But she succeeded.

After that, Fierce Fox got another hydromedusa. She used it to open another area that contained a glyph and a power-point. She took a picture of the glyph and used another hydromedusa to power the power-point. The power-point opened the final door, which contained a containment. Alice explained that Fierce Fox needed to put the final hydromedusa in there, which she did. The containment glowed.

"Astonishing…" Cam observed. "The energy from that fish is powering something somewhere else!"

"You're done here!" Alice congratulated Fierce Fox. "One more room left."

Fierce Fox grinned. "Let's do this."

~ALICE~

Cam and I watched Fierce Fox from the sub's camera. I have to admit, when the SUIs came out, I was blown away by the art style. The Poptropica creators had really raised the bar. Despite the fact that there were too many glitches. Mission Atlantis was no exception: the backgrounds were detailed, the ocean was beautiful, and the creatures were beautifully animated.

Fierce Fox was now in the shark room. The name alone made me shiver. There were lots of areas with small, red fish. They were kept behind walls of pink glass. Fierce Fox had to get as many fish as she could so she could lead the shark to a containment. I was so happy I didn't have to go on such a treacherous mission. The only thing I had to worry about was getting a sunburn. In a way, I felt unproductive. But what could I do? It might be too stressful for me.

"Collect as many of those red fish as you can," I instructed Fierce Fox. The camera showed that she was moving upwards. "You'll need to break some of those glass walls to reach them. If you see a glyph, take a picture. If you see a piece of stone, pick it up. Once you have enough fish… go up to the shark and lead it down to the containment area."

"Alright." Fierce Fox replied. Cam and I observed her actions through the camera. While Fierce Fox was grabbing a fish, I noticed something in the corner. Something black with glowing eyes. Shivers crawled down my spine.

"Do you see something in the corner?" I asked Cam. He squinted.

"Nope," he answered. "Just water." He gasped. "Hey! Take a picture of that glyph!"

I sighed. "I hope so." After Fierce Fox snapped a picture of a glyph, she headed off to get more fish. I saw those haunting eyes following her again. Except they seemed to be watching me. I chewed my lip.

"This is fantastic!" Cam squealed. "We've discovered a whole city! This'll make me beyond famous!" He stared at me. "Are you okay?"

"I think there's something following Fierce Fox," I told him, tapping my chin. "I don't know what. I…" I sighed. "Oh, there's always something or someone following us. They just want me because I'm the prophesied hero."

"Really?" Cam asked. He observed the screen. "I don't see anything out of place." His eyes widened. "Fierce Fox is approaching a shark!" Indeed she was. A large, terrifying, goblin shark appeared on camera. It gnashed its teeth. Fierce Fox turned around and started racing away at full speed. I heard the shark consume something in the background. Fierce Fox continued moving. She was quick, even in a sub.

Eventually, she caught the shark in the containment. Cam gasped.

"Goblin sharks have been around for 125 million years!" he exclaimed. He frowned. "Why was it trapped here so long?"

"Maybe it was waiting for me." Fierce Fox jokingly answered. A few small, red fish were still swimming around her.

"Fierce Fox," I spoke up. "It's time to open that doorway." Fierce Fox nodded and returned to the first room. I explained how to put all the pieces together; she did. That was one part of the puzzle. The second part had to do with the glyphs. There were pictures of the glyphs around the doorway; Fierce Fox had to press them in the order she found them. The door twinkled and open: pink light burned out the camera. And I saw those haunting eyes and heard another scream.

"What have you found?" Cam demanded. "Tell me what you see!" He sounded both panicked and intrigued. Fierce Fox didn't reply. "Are you there? Come in!"

"She's not there," I sighed. "But we'll see her again." I paused. "I hope."


	49. Mission Atlantis 3: Out of the blue

~THIRD PERSON~

Everything around Fierce Fox was dark and still. Behind her was a circular metal door. Pale light surrounded her ship.

"Cam, Alice, come in," Fierce Fox asked, looking around. "Can you hear me?" Her response was a glitched sound. "I guess I'm alone." She frowned. "What do I do first…?" She observed the area around her. There were strange, broken ship parts below her, covered in sand. There was also a skeleton of some kind of large sea creature. Suddenly, a voice from her radio kicked in. It was fuzzy and hard to understand.

"Fierce Fox, it's me, Alice," Alice's fuzzy voice came through. "Don't worry, you'll b-b-be fine…" The sound cracked for a bit. "Just go… third… oom…"

"What?" Fierce Fox asked. But Alice had disconnected. "I guess she said go to… and then third 'oom'. So… go to the third room? That I can do." She headed forward, passing large, metallic rooms. They had metal walls, old ship parts, and were full of seaweed. Fierce Fox wasn't too fond of them. Especially when a strange sounding voice contacted her. It buzzed in some strange language.

"What was that?" Fierce Fox questioned. She continued, arriving in the second room. She drove upwards, passing pink containments of sea creatures. She got into the third room, which was full of metal, planet-like floating objects with splashes of pink.

"...ey," Alice's voice came through. "Push… uttons… get... reen things… put green things on… power slot… memories… explain third one… hard."

"Push buttons, get green things, put the green things onto a powerslot, something to do with memories… and you'll explain the third one because it's hard?" Fierce Fox estimated. Alice didn't reply. "I hope that's correct." Fierce Fox drove past metallic walls, finding a large, red button. She pushed it. A glowing, green, puck-like object popped out of the ground. Fierce Fox shoved it around the metallic walls which were lined with shiny pink.

It was slightly frustrating to push the green object through walls and other things. But Fierce Fox persevered and got the green puck to a glowing, green slot. Her head was suddenly full of images. They seemed to be about some sort of spaceship in the past, zapping away rats and discovering dinosaurs.

"What a rush!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. "It's like the images were being displayed in my brain!"

"Emergency power…" the glitchy voice said, along with alien speak. The whole ship glowed pale pink. It was far easier to see.

"Alice? Cam?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. "Is that you?" She noticed the door that she had used to enter this space had suddenly closed. "Guess I won't be leaving that way."

Alice's voice returned, "... ood job. ...econd… green… hing… not here. ...utton to… open… een door. Go… first room… " Fierce Fox was still confused. She pushed a red button which gave her a second exit. Then she understood what Alice meant. She headed down, exiting the third room. On the way down, the containments turned on.

"Looks like these tanks are turning on..." Fierce Fox noticed. She stopped talking when she saw a large, terrifying creature inside a huge containment. "Wait, what is that?!" It looked like a snake with sharp teeth. It seemed to be staring right at her. "Whoa! That thing is huge!" She quickly left the room and down, going to the first room. It was like a maze, requiring Fierce Fox to push buttons to open different doors.

"Like… maze…" Alice's voice buzzed. "Push… fferent… uttons to… open… doors. Get… thing to slot." Fierce Fox obliged and found the green puck. She shoved it through the maze-like area of metal walls, feeling impatient. She wasn't fond of this activity. Especially with the doors and having to push different buttons. She was beyond relieved when the activity was finally complete.

Her head was full of images again. It was the rat being tested on, and a meteor bringing forth the extinction of the dinosaurs.

"Looks like something went wrong ages ago." Fierce Fox observed.

"...life support…" the alien buzzed. A glowing containment nearby Fierce Fox switched on, revealing a strange-looking sea creature.

"What are you saying? I don't understand!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. She sighed, gazing at the metal walls and the old tubes here and there. Alien writing was on the walls, too.

"...one more," Alice's voice appeared. "...in second room… big fish… at end, let fish eat… hing… go past… push button… get another thing… put it in slot… also… atch out for… ture…" Her voice cracked and disappeared.

"Watch out for 'ture'?" Fierce Fox asked. "What's that supposed to mean?!" But Alice was gone. Fierce Fox sighed and headed to the second room. She swam upwards, discovering the large, scary fish had broken out, leaving behind a smashed containment. "Is that the 'ture' Alice was talking about?" Fierce Fox asked, shivering. She passed the containment, entering a metal tunnel.

The area darkened around Fierce Fox, sending chills up her spine. She passed a hole in the wall, briefly spotting the glowing, red eyes of the creature. She moved forward a bit, coming across another hole. The creature tried to get her, but it missed. Downwards was a disposal for the green pucks. Fierce Fox grabbed one. She let the creature eat it, passed it, and pressed a red button on the wall. A gateway opened up.

Fierce Fox went through the gateway, returning to the area with the pucks. She grabbed another one and brought it the way she came. She placed it in the green slot, allowing images to fill her head. They showed an alien ship crashing into the sea, quite dramatically. A robot with a purple light powered on and scanned Fierce Fox.

"...Find me. Find me…" it said.

"... don't… ollow it," Alice's crackly voice instructed. "... go above… irst room… ture there… atch out… learn… story."

"What?" Fierce Fox asked. Again, Alice was gone. Fierce Fox sighed. She drove the sub through the first room, going up a tunnel on the ceiling. She was no longer in the sub when she arrived in this new area. She jumped up a rocky entrance, discovering a large, glowing, pink rotating screen. A chair was beneath it, seating a costume, Fierce Fox soon discovered. She sat on the chair and observed the screen.

"This whole time," she said. "You were the alien thing?" It displayed the images again, and some new ones.

"Yes, it was," a black, shadowy creature with, glowing, pink eyes approached her. "It trapped me down here with it."

"Who are you?" Fierce Fox asked, eyeing the creature.

"Let's just say a lost spirit," the creature informed her. "The prophesied hero has affected this timeline. Some things - such as me - make it different from other timelines. I am only in this timeline, like yourself. I was watching the prophesied hero, to see if she would help. It seems she fears me."

"Uh… okay," Fierce Fox said, raising her brow. "So… what do you want me to do?"

"It is time for this ship to return to its own planet," the creature told her. "As for me… I will be free, too. Thanks to you, mainly. It is most likely you'll see me again."

"I will?" Fierce Fox asked. She blinked. "I don't understand. Who are you?"

"A lost spirit." the creature told her. "A very lost spirit. Goodbye, Fierce Fox." Then everything in Fierce Fox's vision turned white.

~ALICE~

Fierce Fox appeared on the boat. She looked totally normal, thank goodness. Cam and I approached her, shaking her slightly. Her eyes opened.

"Spirit…?" she asked. She noticed us. "What… what happened?"

"You appeared here, just then." I told her. Suddenly, the ground rumbled. A gigantic ship appeared in the sky - the alien ship - its pink lights blaring. It took off, sending a sonic boom throughout the atmosphere.

"What on Earth was that?" Cam asked, his brow raised.

"Something out of this world." Fierce Fox answered, looking distracted.


	50. PoptropiCon part 1

I've never actually been to a real convention before, but I've always wanted to go to one. Well, sort of. My leg has been a problem. It sucked up my confidence like a vacuum cleaner. It was hard enough to go to school.

But now I was going to a convention with Fierce Fox with no leg problem. And not just any convention. PoptropiCon. It was a dream come true. I bounced up and down with excitement as we landed on the island. There was a large, grey, stony building - the convention center, the building we needed to enter. Near it were various stalls selling various things. A big, blue sign similar to the ComicCon sign was on the stony walls (obviously, since that's what the island is based on). A lady near a purple and yellow tent offered to teach us about customizing - being a self-proclaimed Poptropica expert, I passed.

"Most of this island is about changing your outfit," I told Fierce Fox. "That's why that lady was telling us about customizing. It's very important."

"Clothes, huh…?" Fierce Fox asked, with a small grin. She wiped it off. "Whatever."

"Come on." I led Fierce Fox to the glass doors. A line of people wearing various costumes was next to us. I think I saw someone dressed as me. That made my skin crawl.

"That's a really good cosplay," a guy wearing a steampunk costume told me. "You look just like the prophesied hero."

"Well, uh, I am the prophesied hero." I replied, feeling slightly awkward. The guy gasped.

"No way!" he shouted. He faced the rest of the que. "Guys! The prophesied hero - the real one - is up here!"

"The prophesied hero?" the lady that tried to tell us about customizing approached us. Her name is Tessa Turncoat. She works for the villain, spoiler alert. She wears blue, starry clothing and a large, blue hat. "Wow! If that's true… you should come in!" She opened the glass doors and amiably gestured at them.

"My friend too?" I asked, jerking my head at Fierce Fox.

"... of course!" Tessa Turncoat replied, her tone slightly forced. She gestured to the door again. "Come on in!" So Fierce Fox and I entered the convention center. It's what you'd expect for a convention center. It has tables with people selling or giving out objects, large statues, posters on the wall, cosplays and so much more. Fierce Fox and I walked along the blue, space-themed carpet, following Tessa Turncoat. She led us to a large, brown table in between Stan Ditko's table - this famous guy who made these popular characters - and this table called Wicked Cool News.

"So, what's happening?" Fierce Fox asked, observing the surroundings. There were a few levels with various people on them doing various things. I was eyeing everything with glee. There were so many bright and captivating things to look at - my inner geek was fangirling too hard. Fierce Fox seemed to be eyeing the costumes.

"You two can walk around until the convention is open," Tessa Turncoat told us. "When it does open, please stay here… for fans."

"We never agreed to this." Fierce Fox grumbled, folding her arms. Tessa Turncoat laughed.

"I know," she replied, biting her lip with an anxious grin. "But since you're here… you won't mind seeing some fans, will you?" I gave Fierce Fox a look. She shrugged.

"We'll do it." I said, feeling mixed emotions tingle my skin.

"Great!" Tessa Turncoat replied. She began walking off, her large hat swaying. "Enjoy yourselves. There's a costume contest on. I think you two should go. I'm sure it'll be… a blast." And then she was gone.

"We're not going to that costume contest." I told Fierce Fox, placing my hands on the table. "No way." I smiled. "Well, it won't bother us anyway. Just when it's on, we have to leave."

For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of disappointment in Fierce Fox's eyes. She said, "Yeah, of course. We don't wanna see some dumb costume contest." She looked around. "What do we do now?"

"Well, just hang around, I guess," I told Fierce Fox. I bit my lip. "For once, I'm not totally sure. But… I do know we can't trust Tessa Turncoat. Stay away from her." I sighed at Fierce Fox's expression. "Just go and do whatever you feel like, Fierce Fox. You can be your own voice this time."

"Awesome!" Fierce Fox cheered, making the big grin Poptropican emoticon. She gave me a look. "What if there's trouble?"

"I won't wander too far," I told Fierce Fox. "Just make some noise. I'll find you. Or try and deal with it yourself. But aside from Tessa Turncoat, I don't think there's any trouble."

"Even better!" Fierce Fox cheered, flashing another grin. She seemed very ecstatic about something. "See you back here for the convention, Alice." She raced off, her hair flowing behind her. I sighed and laid my elbows on the table, rubbing my temples.

"This is going to be interesting…" I mumbled to myself.

~THIRD PERSON~

Fierce Fox, like a bullet, zipped through the convention halls. She leaped over two Poptropicans putting a large poster on the wall. She felt different. She felt free. She felt excited. She felt every positive feeling wrapped up in a bundle. Yet, part of her… felt doubtful. She had lied to Alice about a few things. Her childhood. Her life before becoming a hero. And her favourite island. It wasn't Super Villain Island. It was Night Watch Island.

Fierce Fox had a secret interest in fashion. However, due to the way she appeared to others, she kept it secret. Especially to Alice. Right now, she was at a convention with costumes. She was overflowing with glee. She wanted to see them. And, plus, she liked Stan Dikto's characters. That's why she was headed to the cosplay section.

Fierce Fox leaped up a few levels. She came across a glass case full of masks for Omegon, the villain. Then she entered the exhibit hall, the room full of costumes. It was quite messy, full of boxes and foam pellets. Mannequins were lying around. Fierce Fox observed all of the costumes, feeling joy rise within her again. She so badly wanted to enter the costume contest. But Alice had said not to Fierce Fox gritted her teeth.

"Alice said she doesn't really know what's going on," she muttered. "She only said I don't have to trust Tessa Turncoat. The contest has nothing to do with her!" She grinned. "I'll go and see what this costume contest's about, make a costume, then wear it when it's time for the contest! I'll slip away when Alice isn't looking." Her grin turned slightly dark. "After all, she can't control me all the time."

~ALICE~

I had mostly been playing the Mighty Action Force card game while waiting for the convention to start. I was actually getting pretty good at it. I had a lot of good cards. Yet, at the same time, it was weird to do something so mundane. I was used to fighting people or going underground or capturing villains. Now, in a world where danger is nearly as close as my shadow, I was playing a card game. Weird. I couldn't imagine Fierce Fox doing anything more exciting. Yet, by the look on her face, it seemed she did.

"You look happy," I told her. "What did you do?"

"Eh, just looked around." Fierce Fox replied, a big grin on her face. I had no idea why she was so ecstatic. I chose not to ask.

"Well, the convention's about to open," I said. I stood behind our table, lacing my hands together. Fierce Fox, jittery, stood next to me. We stared at each other for a moment. Something was brewing in her eyes. Suddenly, the doors opened. People rushed in like cans of sardines. Pretty soon, people flooded our table.

"I had no idea the prophesied hero was gonna be here!" a young girl cried, squealing with excitement.

"Neither!" a young boy agreed. He and the girl approached our table. "Can we have a photo?"

"...Sure." I said. I stood behind the kids, kneeling down to their height. The girl's mom took a photo of us with a large grin.

"Thanks!" the girl told me, her eyes glowing. "Me and my friend think you're awesome!"

"I wanna be like you when I grow up!" the boy added, jumping next to the girl.

"Uh… thanks." I replied, feeling strange. I was used to being insulted, not complimented. Especially admired. I had never been admired before. I didn't know how to feel. The kids raced off with their parents before I could say anything more. Then, an old friend approached me, looking overwhelmed.

"Nate…?" I asked, recognizing the character from Big Nate Island.

"Alice," he greeted seductively. I felt awkward. "I didn't know you'd be here at PoptropiCon."

"Me neither." I replied, my breath slowing. He kept staring at me and brushing his black curls. I'm no expert in romance, but I could tell I didn't like him the way he liked me. I had never had a crush on anyone, really. Mom said it might change when I'm older, but I'm not really sure. Part of me doesn't want it to change. I asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I like the Elf Archer comics," Nate answered, seductively leaning on the table. "What about you?"

"I haven't read them, though I'd like to." I replied, still feeling odd. Suddenly, I saw someone I knew. "Hey! C.J!" I waved to my friend from Shrink Ray Island. She waved back and walked over to me. She looked the same as always: jacket, hair in plaits, lipstick.

"Hey, Alice," she greeted. She eyed Nate. "Who's this?"

"That's, uh, Nate," I replied. I gave C.J a glance. "My… friend."

"Yeah." Nate dreamily agreed, nodding. His elbow slipped off the table, causing him to fall over. "Uh, you didn't see that!" He raced off, disappearing into the crowd. I sighed in relief.

"Not too comfortable with him, huh?" C.J asked, chuckling.

"He's got a crush on me, C.J," I replied, pursing my lips. "But I don't like him back."

"Oh well," C.J shrugged. "Happens to the best of us. Anyway, how's it been going since the whole… uh… prophecy-incident?"

"It's been fine," I answered, my arms relaxing. "Fierce Fox and I went to a few islands, had a few problems... aside from that, it's been good. One guy tried to hunt us, though. That… is not an experience I want to live again."

C.J gasped. "That sounds awful!"

I nodded with wide eyes. "You're lucky your life is normal. Speaking of that, how are you going?"

"Nothing too exciting has happened, unlike with you," C.J answered, sighing. "We've got a new science teacher. I…" She frowned. "I know he's evil, but I miss Mr. Silva. It felt like he genuinely cared about my work. The new teacher is fine, but… she doesn't get it like he did."

"It's okay," I told her. "I understand. I mean, hey, science for life, right? Nothing can top that subject."

"Yeah!" C.J replied. We high-fived, then laughed. C.J frowned at the cue behind her. "Well, I don't want to hold everyone up. Enjoy the convention, Alice. I'm only here because my dad has a big crush on Elf Archer." She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Dad. See you later." I waved goodbye as she left. With my breath caught in my throat, I signed a few books and pictures. It was going relatively well. After a little while, Tracy Turncoat approached me.

"The costume contest is starting now," she told me. "Are you going?"

"No," I replied, stretching my hands. I hadn't done so much signing - very little at all, honestly - in my life. "Fierce Fox and I are going now." Then I realized something. "Wait… where is Fierce Fox?" I looked around. She was nowhere in this room. I'd been busy the whole time, so I hadn't really paid attention to her. Did she slip off? Was she kidnapped? Fear overwhelmed me.

"Uh, I've got to go." I told everyone near my table. I raced through the convention, searching for my friend. She wasn't in the demo hall or room. She wasn't in the expo hall. She wasn't in the exhibit hall, either. My fear continued to grow. Is she at the contest? I thought. She can't be… can she? Reluctantly, I headed over to the contest. There was quite a crowd surrounding a large, black stage. Stage lights basked the stage in bright light. People cosplayed as Omegon were on the stage. Most of the costumes were terrible, except for one.

That person was Fierce Fox.

"Fierce Fox?!" I exclaimed, watching her onstage. "What the heck?! What're you doing in the contest?!" Suddenly, the whole room darkened. A vortex of bright, orange light opened mid-stage. The real Omegon climbed out, in all his glory: his yellow armour, his red eyes, his cape. Everyone aside from Fierce Fox and the host ran off stage.

"Amazing!" the host cried. "A surprise contestant - and what a costume! I don't even see any seams."

"Bow to Omegon!" Omegon boomed, shaking the whole building. He seemed to be staring straight at me with his deadly red eyes.

"Haha, terrific," the host laughed. "Well, I don't need to see anymore. We have a winner!"

"I have come to destroy the Mighty Action Force and the prophesied hero." Omegon boomed. I almost groaned. I really should've expected that.

"No need to milk it," the host chuckled, his lip twitching. "Let's get you your prize. You, sir, should unmask."

"I wear no mask." Omegon roared, glowing green.

"No mask? No mask!" the host exclaimed, sounding stunned. Omegon shot a ray of green energy at him, burning him. Everyone gasped in horror. Me included. Fierce Fox stared at me from the stage. I couldn't tell how she felt. Omegon caught her gaze and stared at me too. I stepped back; the crowd behind me backed away.

"There you are," Omegon boomed. "Prepare to perish." Then everything went black.


	51. PoptropiCon part 2

I woke up in a cage made of green energy. I was in some sort of room that had been partly destroyed - or very messed up. The walls had broken apart; there were old PoptropiCon decorations everywhere. I could see vents and pipes poking through the walls. The floor was covered in technological mess. There were lasers and security programs all around my cage. My cage was above ground, on rough, metal flooring. Everything felt stuffy and messy. It was stuffy and messy.

"Hello?" I called, looking around. There was no one around. I had no idea where Fierce Fox - or anyone else, for that matter - was. I wasn't sure how I'd ended up in this cage. I assumed Omegon had put me there. And I didn't know how to escape. I took a deep breath, and loudly cried for help. But nobody came. So I decided to take matters into my hands.

I touched the green, flowing lasers keeping me inside the cage. A sharp shock of pain made me lurch back.

"I should've expected that," I mumbled. I looked around and raised my voice. "Anyone?" Still no one came to my aid. I sighed. I searched the cage for something that could turn the lasers off. There was a big red button that could switch them off. Stealthily, I reached my hand out to the button. I hit my hand once, but continued trying. I pressed it eventually; the lasers disappeared. A terribly-designed cage, honestly.

Now that I was free I could gather my bearings. Beneath me was a swarm of lasers. Beside me was a swarm of lasers. There were lasers everywhere. So the cage design wasn't so terrible after all. In the original island, you need the weapons of the Mighty Action Force to help you escape. But I had no such things. I did have something, however.

I pulled out my necklace from the gods. Now seemed to be a good time to ask for help. Or at least a weapon. I tapped the shiny object around my neck and mentally called out for help. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then, suddenly, a golden bow and arrow appeared in my grip. I was stunned for a few moments. I didn't know how to use a bow. But this is Poptropica. You tend to be a natural at everything.

I fired a golden arrow at a power box. It destroyed a laser in my path, so I headed forward. I continued firing arrows at lasers. Soon, I was down onto the second level. That's when a golden shield appeared on my shoulder. A laser fired at it; the shield deflected it. It was like I had my own Mighty Action Force weapons. Another hot-pink laser came down from the ceiling; I deflected it with my shield. I was beginning to feel more hopeful. Thank the gods, I thought.

I found a vent near the end of the room. I entered it and crawled through; the grey walls creaked around me. I came into a basement-like room, full of shelves with canned food, toilet paper and more. There were a few people there: Tessa Turncoat, C.J, the male kid from before, and a few others I didn't recognize. No Fierce Fox.

"The Prophesied Hero!" Tessa Turncoat exclaimed, pointing at me. "You've escaped!"

"Yes," I replied, eyeing her strangely. I turned to C.J. "Where's Fierce Fox?"

"I have no idea," C.J answered. She looked uncomfortable. "I think… I think she's with the other humans taken by Omegon…"

I feel shock sail through my body. "Omegon has her," I repeated. I thought about what awful things could be happening to my Poptropican. I felt a mixture of anger and fear. "He won't have her for long."

"He has my dad, too!" C.J added, clenching her fists. "If you're going to save Fierce Fox, I'm coming too! I need to save my dad!"

"And my best friend!" the male kid squeaked. "Prophesied hero! I… I wanna help! I wanna save my friend!"

"Um…" I looked uncomfortable. "I don't know… about kids coming with me. Or you, C.J. I… I usually do this by myself." I sighed. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"You didn't defeat Zeus by yourself," C.J cleverley pointed out. "Without us… you would've given up." She winked. "And besides, you're always with Fierce Fox. Who said you're a solo traveler?" She's right, I realized. I never did this alone. I… even now I have help. These godly weapons… if some gods weren't on my side, I…

"I'll help!" the boy agreed, jumping up and down.

"Alright then," I sighed, walking over to C.J and the boy. "You can help. But… you'll need to listen to me. I know what to do." They eagerly nodded at me. I took a deep breath. "Firstly, what's your name?" I looked at the boy. He stared back at me with his dark brown eyes and hair.

"I'm Carlos." he told me.

"Well, Carlos, you can call me Alice," I told Carlos. I pointed to C.J. "That's C.J. She's very smart." C.J waved it off. "Now, let's go save our friends and family."

To save our friends and family, we had to form this guy named Alphaon. Alphaon is basically all of the Mighty Action Force's power mashed together. To do that, we had to find all of the Mighty Action Force's weapons - and save the team themself. They were in cages like I was. Because I already had weapons, it was far easier. I wasn't sure about Carlos having weapons, since he was a kid, but he seemed really determined to save his friend. And I couldn't doubt that.

The first weapon was the Elf Archer's bow. The Elf Archer - or her actor - was trapped in a cage with pink lasers. The room around her was full of lasers and Omegon technology embedded in the walls. My friends followed me as I held the shield out.

"Where did you get that awesome shield from?!" Carlos asked, as I deflected a hot-pink laser.

"I have some… special friends that have lots of cool powers," I answered, as we crept forward. "They sometimes help me with missions."

"That's awesome!" Carlos cried. I nodded, tittering slightly.

"Yeah," I replied. "Now, I need to use my shield to deflect a laser into a power source. That will help us free the Elf Archer."

"And who will use her bow?" C.J asked. We leaped onto a platform. I held the shield above our heads like an umbrella.

"It depends who's best at it," I replied. "Stay here." I jumped down in between a laser and a power source. I held the shield in front of my face. A laser came down and destroyed the power source. Carlos squealed with joy. He sounded so pure - it reminded me of my childhood. I ignored my heavy nostalgia and jumped up to my friends. The metal beneath my feet swayed. My friends and I held our arms out, trying not to fall.

"Just a few more lasers," I told my friends. "Then we can free the Elf Archer."

"Yay!" Carlos cheered. C.J gave me a grin. It was good to be with other people. I guess working alone wasn't really my thing after all. Anyway, I deflected a few more lasers, then we were able to reach the Elf Archer. I pressed the red button on her cage, like I did with my cage.

"If there were no lasers, this would be a terrible cage design." C.J commented, tapping her chin. She eyed the red button. "Not a good idea to put the escape button on the cage itself."

"I agree." I said, nodding. The Elf Archer climbed out of the cage and stretched.

"You're the stars of the show!" she told us. "Thanks!" She raced off. My eyes followed the way she left.

"Come on, guys," I told my friends. "Let's go get her bow."

We returned to that basement-like room. Inside, we found the Elf Archer, who looked tired. She let us have her bow, which she didn't even know how to shoot. I let C.J have it, since I wasn't really sure about letting a kid use a bow. I'm no expert in young kids, but I'm pretty sure letting them use weapons isn't a good idea.

"Alright," I faced my friends. "Next up is Goldface. He has the electric gloves."

"Getting all of these weapons is pointless," C.J commented. "We, uh, have yours. We don't need anymore."

"Unfortunately we need to get those exact weapons to form Alphaon," I told C.J, sighing. "It's a comic book thing."

"I think it's cool!" Carlos exclaimed, punching his fists in the air.

"Good for you, Carlos." C.J sighed. I laughed and led my friends through the vents. I stopped smiling when we came to the next room. It was another slightly dark room full of tech. Holes were in the walls with pipes coming out. Lasers were nearby a large machine. This machine was yellow with Omegon eyes. There was a conveyor belt running through the machine. Crystals were above it. Two Omegon hench-bots were standing near the machine. Two Poptropicans were on the conveyor belt: some guy I didn't know and C.J's dad.

"Dad…!" C.J whisper-shouted, fear blazing in her eyes. C.J's dad entered the machine, which had a large window, so you could see him. "What are they gonna do to him!?" She pulled out the bow.

"Let me go!" C.J's dad demanded, banging his fists against the window. "I want to know if my daughter is safe!"

"Initiate transmutation process." one hench-bot said. The other pressed a triangle-shaped button. The window lit up with powerful, blinding light.

"NO!" C.J screamed, firing her bow at the robots. It was no use to stop her now. "DAD!" But it was too late. C.J's dad had been turned into one of those robots. He was moved along the conveyor belt and dropped into a pile of other robots. A pang of sadness raced through my heart. I knew what it was like to lose your dad. Carlos just sat there, stunned.

In retaliation, C.J fired arrows at the hench-bots. Soon, they were nothing but robot parts on the ground. C.J panted heavily, tears forming in her eyes.

"Is she okay?" Carlos asked me. I walked over to C.J and gave her a hug.

"Your dad will be okay," I told her, patting her shoulder. She hugged me back. "We'll stop Omegon. We'll bring him back."

"We will," C.J smiled, laughing and crying. "We will."

"That was beautiful," the other guy - who was next in line for the hench-box transformation - admired. "Ten out of ten! And I finally got my drink!" He jumped off of the conveyor belt and ran away. I rolled my eyes then focused on the mission.

"We need to save Goldface," I explained. Carlos perked up. "To do that, we'll need to do similar things as we did before. Except we'll be using the arrows a little more." I winked at C.J. She smirked back. She seemed eager to fire at those vibrant green lasers. So that's what she did, while I shielded. I made sure Carlos stayed behind me.

There was one part where C.J had to go on a platform that moved up and down. She did that and fired at the green targets, Hunger Games style. Meanwhile, I blocked myself and Carlos from a hot-pink laser, destroying a power source. Carlos really seemed to be enjoying it. So did C.J. I was worried, but even I submitted myself to a bit of their joy. I knew this was Poptropica. It wasn't real life. You always win in Poptropica. There's always reason to be cheerful. Unlike real-life, where you really don't know.

Eventually, we managed to free Goldface. We followed him back to HQ (the basement place) and he gave us his electric pulverizes (or gloves). Carlos liked the look of those.

"Can I wear them?" he begged me with puppy eyes. "Please, Alice? I'll use them like I'm supposed to!"

I sighed. I'd never been begged to like that before. It was weird. It was like I was some kind of big sister, though I'm siblingless. Regardless, I handed them over to Carlos, on the condition that he used them properly. He agreed eagerly. He tried to pulse them, but they didn't light up.

"What's wrong with them?" Carlos asked irritably, shaking his hands.

"They're not charged," C.J answered, observing them. "Surely there's a way to charge them."

"There is," I said. "I'll show you how to charge them, then we'll go after the last guy: World Guy."

Carlos charged the pulverizers (with my help) using that large, yellow machine. He flaunted his new gloves. Then all three of us went to save the final hero. He was in a room much like the others: there were metal walls and platforms all over the place, and the walls were covered in trash. It was a huge mess. To save World Guy, we needed all of the weapons, including the gloves.

"Okay, Carlos," I pointed to a platform that could only move when activated by electricity. "I need you to power that up. C.J, stand on that platform and fire at the green target as it goes up." C.J and Carlos nodded and headed over to the platform. C.J stood on it while Carlos powered it up. His eyes glimmered with satisfaction. C.J rose up, her bow aimed at the target. She fired it perfectly, destroying the green target.

"You should get into archery, C.J," I told C.J, grinning. I turned my head. "I need you over here, guys." Carlos powered another platform and C.J fired another arrow. Then we freed World Guy, followed him back to HQ, and got his shield. We had everything we needed. Finally.

"What do we do now?" C.J asked as we sat in a circle on a shelf.

"We go and confront Omegon," I replied. I smiled. "Like we did with Zeus."

"Who's Zeus?" Carlos asked, confused. C.J and I glanced at each other.

"You don't wanna know, kid," C.J told him, holding up her hand. "Trust me." She faced me. "So, we confront him all guns blazing?"

"Exactly," I replied, holding out my own bow and shield. "We have more than enough weapons. I think we can take him."

"Yay!" Carlos cheered, lighting up his pulverizers.

"Where is he, by the way?" C.J asked. I bit my lip.

"I don't know," I said, raising my voice. "Maybe we can ask Tessa Turncoat." I looked at Tessa Turncoat - the traitor - who gave me a perplexed stare.

"What are you…" Suddenly she realized. "How… how did you know!?"

"I know things." I replied. I stood up and prepared to fire an arrow. "I also know Omegon won't give you what you want, Tessa. It's no use helping him. So help us. Where is he?"

Me, C.J and Carlos crawled through the vents, our weapons by our sides. It was time to stop Omegon once and for all. After convincing Tessa Turncoat to reveal his location, we began crawling through vents, searching for said location. Soon, we found it. It was in a room like everywhere else: destroyed metal walls, mess everywhere, and lots of glowing tech. Omegon was behind a protective, green wall. Beneath him were platforms and a large, spherical energy source. And a green crystal. We approached him stealthy; he was not facing us, so he didn't spot us.

"Okay," I told my accomplices. "We'll sneak under here and confront him from the bottom." My accomplices nodded and followed me under Omegon's throne. I tapped my chin. "Actually, let's destroy that crystal first. It's what happens in the original… uh, I mean, it's Omegon's power source. He'll be weakened if we destroy it." I pointed at the crystal. Then I pointed at the spherical power source, which had four pegs. "Carlos, light those up with your gloves."

Carlos nodded and did such thing. Four lasers began firing energy at the crystal, making it shake. Omegon stopped his stupid partying or whatever he was doing and looked up in surprise. I turned to C.J.

"Carlos will power those platforms," I instructed. "When they're not in the way of the crystal, fire at it from a little hole." C.J nodded and leaped to the little hole, which was in a wall nearby the platforms. Carlos powered the platforms, moving them. At the right time, C.J fired an arrow, destroying the crystal. There was a large blast of light, and everything exploded.

"Guys…?" I wiped my brow and stood up. Everything was even more destroyed than before. Omegon's throne was literally mush. Things on the wall were scrap parts. Debris was everywhere. I found Carlos and C.J on the ground, rubbing their eyes. I helped them up.

"Did we defeat him…?" C.J asked, looking hopeful. I shook my head.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Omegon's voice boomed. "Now I will show you my real power!" A large, orange portal sucked all three of us up. We swirled around in a circle, having no idea where we were going. Then, we were split up, and pulled through this weird dimension that looked like space. C.J flew through this picture of the Elf Archer - her bow started glowing blue. Carlos went through a picture of Goldface - his gloves turned blue.

I had World Guy's shield. I went through the picture of said hero - his shield turned blue, appearing on my arm. The godly weapons had disappeared. I guess the gods saw I didn't need them anymore. All three of us floated through a picture of Omegon; his red eyes followed us. Then we came to a new, black room. Omegon was floating in front of us, looking outraged.

"We are the three parts of Alphaon!" I declared. I have no idea where the words were coming from. "This is your end, Omegon! We will destroy you!"

"I think not," Omegon boomed. "Behold my true form!" Naturally, he was a ginormous robot. He had large, back legs like a cat and a huge, robotic face with gleaming, pink eyes. He had two arms near his head that were ready to crush us. His face had metal plates at the back of it and green areas for arrows on the cheeks. He growled, his power shaking the ground. My friends and I glanced at each other.

"I will deflect those lasers, bringing his hand to the ground," I instructed my friends. "When it arrives, Carlos, you must use your gloves to make it move. C.J, hop on and fire at those green targets." They nodded at me. I stood in front of a pink laser, holding out my shield. I was enjoying working together. It made the experience less nerve-wrecking. Most of the time I was with Fierce Fox, but now I was with two others. Two others who I felt I could trust.

The laser bounced off my shield and destroyed the hand's power. It landed on the ground. Carlos hopped on board and charged it up with the gloves. C.J joined him and they rode up to Omegon's face. C.J, with her gleaming bow, fired at his green cheeks, destroying both. Omegon's eye became hot pink and vulnerable. Now it was my turn again.

I waited for another laser to appear. I kneeled on the ground, shield in front of me. A laser soon arrived and bounced off my shield, smashing Omegon's eye. I gave my friends a thumbs up; they returned to the ground.

"Now it's time for the second eye." I told them. I kneeled down again. The laser hit my shield and charged towards Omegon's hand. Again, it was brought down. My friends leaped aboard, ready to shoot. It was like they were flawless. Same with Fierce Fox. It seemed I was different. Maybe that's a human thing.

Anyway, my friends cleared the eye for me. I kneeled down, ready to block. Suddenly, I slipped, landing underneath Omegon's hand. Idiot, I scolded myself. The hand looked like it was about to crush me. Suddenly, C.J came to my aid by firing at Omegon's vulnerable, hot-pink eye. Explosions appeared all across him, as his body fell apart. I clutched my stomach as everything exploded once again.

PoptropiCon was back to normal. C.J, Carlos and myself popped out of the orange portal, appearing in the main lobby. C.J raced over to hug her dad, who was waiting for her with open arms. Carlos found his best friend, who tackled him with a hug. And I had Fierce Fox, who gave me a small smile. I smiled back. Sometimes I'm not sure how to act around Fierce Fox. Our relationship is interesting.

Tessa Turncoat was there, too. I said I would forgive her in exchange for the medallion, which she gave me. Then I turned to Carlos and C.J

"Thanks, guys," I told them with a hearty grin. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"Something exciting did happen after all," C.J laughed. She sighed. "I should get into archery. That was pretty crazy."

"I WENT ON AN ADVENTURE WITH THE PROPHESIED HERO!" Carlos squealed, racing around like he needed to use the toilet. I laughed. My vision began turning white.

"Thanks, guys," I said again. "You're the best."


	52. Arabian Nights 1: How Bazaar

Mom pet my shoulder with a kind smile on her face.

"You're doing so well, Alice," she told me. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." I replied awkwardly, not sure how to absorb the compliment.

"Your dad would've been proud of you, too." Mom added sadly. My lip twitched. "Despite what he did... he loved you, Alice. He wanted to protect you."

"I know," I sighed. "I know very well." I looked at the backyard behind me. It's not very exciting. It's just grass with a few dirt patches. A vine is crawling up the neighbour's fence. That's pretty much all, really. I wondered if the backyard could change. Like I did. Maybe it just needed some pzazz. Maybe that was why I was chosen to be the prophesied hero. Because I needed some pzazz.

"Mom," I spoke up. "We should put some flowers or something in the backyard. It would make it a lot more interesting."

"That's a good idea," Mom replied, grinning at me. "I'll go and Google something. We can find some nice flowers to put in the backyard." She smirked. "And some seats too. For you and your friend Marcus."

"Yeah," I said, observing the grass. There was so much of it. And it grew so quickly. "I'd like that."

Fierce Fox and I landed in a hot, sandy, Arabian-style desert. There was a large, marble, gleaming tower behind us, decorated with paint. Large walls of white rock were there too. Sand was blowing in the light breeze and the sun was bearing down. We were in a bazaar on Arabian Nights Island. And there was a little problem.

"Arabian nights," I sung, quoting Aladdin. Fierce Fox gave me a look. "It's a movie quote." But her look wasn't very intense. Then it all hit me: PoptropiCon Island. The way she left me for that fashion show, the thing I told her not to attend. Then she got herself caught. I sighed. "Well, I suppose I got a taste of my own medicine. Now I know how that feels." I wasn't angry. Mostly surprised. And curious. "Why did you attend that fashion show, anyway?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Fierce Fox answered, almost sounding embarrassed. "What do we do first?"

I bit my lip. "Well, we have to go to the caves to find the forty thieves. Who are they? The answer is in the name: they're forty thieves. We have to find and stop them. There's a lot more story to it, but I won't explain it right now. For now, we have to go to the caves." I shrugged. "Their hideout isn't there, but there is something important there."

So Fierce Fox and I raced along the desert sand, passing huge, sand-brick buildings. They have lots of windows with cloth roofs, full of sand. Beside them is a circular, silver platform. This silver platform is where the thieves steal things. Why people would put their stuff on this platform, I don't know. Poptropica logic.

Anyway, Fierce Fox and I passed that area, coming to the caves. The main part is past rocky walls with holes. Some parts of the rock have quicksand. Fierce Fox and I climbed over the top, our feet brushing more sand. This island has quite a lot of sand. And brown rocks. Fierce Fox and I entered the main cave, which is, well, a cave. It's dark, made out of brown rocks, and has sandy ledges. There are things leftover from others who visited the caves, such as tents.

"This way." I told the quiet Fierce Fox, shoving a box against a sandy ledge. "There's a bunch of boxes we need to push to reach places." Fierce Fox nodded and followed me up that same ledge. She followed me down to another ledge, helped me push another box onto the floor, then leaped down. We pushed the third box to another ledge (just Poptropica things) and leaped over that.

More boxes and a broken ladder later, we reached the end of the caves. We found a skeleton with a turban, holding a bag of salt - which looked more like white crystals. I picked up the bag.

"There we go," I said. "That's what we need. Now it's time to trade."

Fierce Fox and I headed to the marketplace (or the bazaar) which is where we landed. Past that white wall is another white wall with a staircase with ledges and platforms. On those platforms are tents. In those tents are traders. Fierce Fox and I went over to the traders.

"Now," I told Fierce Fox. "We'll be doing a whole lot of trading. It'll help us get into the real hideout." With that, I leaped over to the first trader. I traded a bit of the salt for some grain. Fierce Fox watched me curiously. I headed over to the second trader. I traded another grain of salt for some cloth. Then I returned to the first trader and traded the cloth for a telescope. Finally, I traded another grain of salt for some cloth. Got all that? It's a bit confusing and repetitive.

Anyway, with the telescope, I headed over to that large tower. On top of it - as well as a pillar - is a lookout for a telescope. I placed the telescope on it, naturally. When I looked through it, I could see that silver platform. I grinned in satisfaction.

"Fierce Fox," I faced my currently quiet acquaintance. "Can you put this cloth on that platform?" I handed her the cloth. She nodded and headed off. I peered through the telescope, watching her place it on the platform. A frown was on her face. I sighed deeply. Soon, she returned. I gave her a gentle smile and gazed through the telescope. Sure enough, I saw two thieves steal the cloth. They left a group of black, smoky bombs behind. Bingo.

I raced over to the platform and grabbed the smoke bombs. Certainly very useful. Fierce Fox was milling behind me like a shy child. It felt strange to see her so quiet. She was usually much louder and more aggressive. Now she was acting like me when I first came to Poptropica. But I didn't say anything. I didn't really know what to say.

"Time to go to the palace." I said, heading left. We got to the entrance of the palace: a white stone palace covered in beautiful designs. Pillars with wooden windows were on the outside. There was a beautiful wooden door, too. It was covered in swirls. Two guards were blocking it.

"I'm going to throw this bomb, signalling the guards," I told Fierce Fox. "When the guards come, we run past them and head inside." She nodded. I threw the smoke bomb; smoke erupted from the ground. The guards came running over. I threw another smoke bomb to blind them, then raced off, Fierce Fox on my heels. We burst into the palace, relief flooding through my system.

I haven't been to many palaces - or expensive homes, for that matter - but I had a feeling this palace wasn't the best. Chandeliers had fallen down and been smashed. The windows were boarded up. There were cracks in the pillars and mess on the floor. Yeah, self-explanatory.

The sultan was at the end of the room, looking depressed. If you know the story, you know the sultan has a part in it. I won't spoil too much. Fierce Fox and I spoke to him.

"What happened here?" Fierce Fox asked, actually speaking.

"The Forty Thieves happened!" the sultan exclaimed. "They ransacked my palace and left me nothing."

"You mean, you're broke?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"Money can be replaced, but the thieves took one precious thing from me: a lamp that is like no other," the sultan explained. "Find it, and I will grant you a fabulous reward."

"How can we find the lamp?" I asked, pitching in.

"I don't know," the sultan answered. "But perhaps you can start your quest with this." He handed us a green, shimmering jewel. "It is my last jewel. Trade it wisely." The jewel went into my inventory. I gave Fierce Fox a look. After that, we left. The guards confronted us.

"Hey!" one snapped. "How did you two come out of there?"

"If the boss finds out about this, we'll be in big trouble." the second one added.

"I can't lose this job," the first one whimpered. "This is all I have left!"

"Can you guys do us a favour and keep this between us?" the second one asked.

"I guess." Fierce Fox said, shrugging. I nodded.

"After all, what happens in the desert stays in the desert!" the first one proclaimed.

"I don't think I've heard that one before." I commented. Fierce Fox and I left after that and returned to the traders. We spoke to the one with a camel. We traded the crown jewel for a pearl. We traded the pearl for an ivory camel with another trader, then traded that camel for the real camel.

"If you can control him, this camel will follow you just about anywhere." the trader informed us.

"You need to be patient with this camel," I told Fierce Fox. "We can't go too fast." I took the camel's rein and slowly walked along. He and Fierce Fox trailed behind me. Honestly, I don't know who was faster. Anyway, I led the camel to the platform. I put him on there and pet his side.

"Sorry." I told him. Then I faced Fierce Fox. "Come on." We left the camel there and headed to the tower. From there, we could watch him get stolen. It felt extremely cruel, but how else could we enter the hideout? The forty thieves liked to be stealthy and quick. The camel doesn't like quick. He would reveal where the hideout is.

With that, Fierce Fox and I peered through the telescope. A thief appeared on the side. She threw a smoke bomb at the camel and tried to pull him away, but he didn't budge. The thief got an idea. She held out a banana, tempting the camel to follow her. He did so. The thief led him to a pool of water.

"Open sesame!" she said. A stone dragon head with its mouth wide open climbed out of the water. The thief, still leading the camel, entered the head. They were gone. And the head slipped back into the water.

"That's their hideout," I said. "Come on." Fierce Fox and I headed over to the water. I stood in it; it lapped at my ankles. "Open sesame." The head reappeared, water dripping off the sides. I gave Fierce Fox a glance. Then we headed inside.


	53. Arabian Nights 2: Lair of Thieves

Fierce Fox and I had landed inside a dark, underground tunnel. There were layers of floor made of stone and covered in dirt. Cracked stone pillars held them up. There were thieves in black garments roaming around. We did not want to get caught.

"Follow me," I whispered. I jumped off of a stone layer and landed on a wooden layer. Fierce Fox followed me. There was a thief nearby us, but somehow he didn't see us. Fierce Fox continued following me as I headed downwards, our feet brushing the sand. Either the guards were all blind or just plain stupid, I don't know. But they didn't see us. Fierce Fox and I leaped down a hole, coming to the next area.

Fierce Fox and I landed on a wooden platform. It was above a stone floor that had a stone pillar, where a scene was happening. On that stone pillar was a variety of lamps. Four thieves were there: one seemed to be a sacrifice.

"It's easy," a lady thief wearing a red turban said. She has a very confusing name, so I'm just going to call her... Sasha. She's the leader of the thieves - and an important character. I told this information to Fierce Fox. "Just pick one lamp and place it on the altar. If it's the right one, you'll be set free!"

The sacrifice thief whimpered, "But the... the curse!"

"Yes," Sasha agreed. "The altar will destroy anyone who places the wrong lamp on it." She looked angry. "Then you'd better pick the right one!" This large, muscular, intimidating thief stomped his foot. The sacrifice yelped and grabbed a golden lamp with a light blue gem in the center. He walked over to the altar, which was a statue of a griffon-like creature with an angry-looking human head. Golden was plated on it. It was holding out a paw. Wings were on its back.

The sacrifice placed the lamp on the outstretched paw. Nothing happened for a few moments. The sacrifice looked relieved. Suddenly, the altar started glowing red. The sacrifice was disintegrated into red powder. Only his clothes were left behind. Fierce Fox tensed.

"Not again!" Sasha complained. "We'll run out of prisoners before we ever run out of lamps." Suddenly, the floor beneath our feet cracked and opened. However, Fierce Fox pushed me backwards, saving me. She fell down herself.

"Uh... just dropping in to say hi." she told the thieves as they approached her. I watched from above, my lips dry.

"Take this interloper to a cell!" Sasha demanded. The big thief forcibly led Fierce Fox away. "We'll deal with you later," Sasha called after her. "Back to work, everyone." With that, a thief that looked like a pirate headed off, and a thief that was obsessed with money began counting the piles and piles of gold that were stored there. Sasha herself walked off, ready to do some work.

I held my breath. Fierce Fox had saved me. I had a feeling she was perplexed about what was happening. I clenched my fists. She was in a cage. Of course I wanted to save her, but I wondered if it was a better idea to do other things first. No, I thought. I should save her first. I'll need the help. So, with that, I stealthily crawled along the wooden platform. I waited for the gold-counting guy to move, then I jumped down. I landed nearby the altar. I grabbed the sacrifice's clothes, eyeing the majestic statue. I went past it. On the wall, there was a ledge. On the ledge was a skeleton with a turban. It was holding a jar of quicksilver.

I decided to change my plans just a little. I'd grab a few items before saving Fierce Fox. I climbed onto the altar and jumped over to the skeleton. I grabbed the quicksilver, then jumped into the murky water below. I headed right, coming to another area. I walked across a wooden bridge. It was connected to a stone layer loaded with weapons, pictures and more. Oh, and Sasha was there, too. I did not want her to see me.

I crouched at the edge of the stone layer, waiting until Sasha wasn't looking. There was a large vase full of oil nearby me. I dipped the clothes into the oil, turning them black. Now I didn't have to sneak around so much. I put them on; the clothing made my skin itch. Especially since I wasn't used to clothing near my face. However, I looked like a thief, which was what I wanted.

I headed back left and passed the altar and gold-obsessed guy. I came to another area, which was full of prisons. They were made of old stone with little space inside. They were squeezed together like a large square. I ran around the perimeter, searching for Fierce Fox. I used ladders and platforms. Near the top, I found some viper skin inside of a cell. I grabbed it and descended. Fierce Fox was inside a cell at the bottom along with another guy.

I stood on the ladder on Fierce Fox's left side. I tapped the cell bars; she gazed at me with a vexed expression.

"Hey!" I whispered. "It's me, Alice! I'm gonna get you and that other guy out!" Fierce Fox's expression shifted. She nodded at me. "But I'll need your help. Above your head is some loose rubble. Hit it; it'll crumble down. Jump up there and push that wrecking ball. It'll break a wall that you want broken." Fierce Fox nodded and did such things. The cell above her head had an open door, so she was free. I raced over to the guy's side - the right side. She jumped down and joined me.

"Okay," I told her. "You'll want to stay near me." I faced the guy. "Don't worry, I'm on your side. I'm Fierce Fox's friend. We're here for the same reason: get the sultan's lamp back. I've already got some ingredients for the smoke bomb. Can you give me the recipe?"

"That I can do," the guy handed me the recipe. "Good luck." He looked like he wanted to ask something else, but Fierce Fox and I were already heading off. We came back to the altar room. The gold-obsessed guy was still there.

"I don't mean to be rude, but if he sees you..." I laughed nervously. Fierce Fox sighed.

"Go," she said. "I'll wait here."

"Don't get caught." I told her. I left her behind in the murky water, heading upwards. I passed the place where we were hiding and came to the first room. If you didn't think this room could get any easier, you're wrong. I casually climbed up the platforms, approaching a group of thieves. Nearby them was a bag full of borax. I took the whole bag and they didn't even flinch. Oh well. The chase scene at the end makes up for it.

I returned to the altar room. Fierce Fox was still at the bottom.

"I know there's not a lot to do, but I don't have another thief costume," I told her. She shrugged like she didn't care. Who are you and what have you done with Fierce Fox? I jokingly thought. "So, you're okay with..."

"Go." Fierce Fox repeated, shooing me away. I sighed and walked off, heading right to Sasha's area. I went right past her at her desk; she didn't even flinch. I came to a store room which was full of barrels and explosives. Not very safe. Suddenly, I remembered what was going to happen in a short amount of time. I took a fearful breath. I jumped up to a shelf and grabbed some gunpowder. Now I had everything I needed to make a smoke bomb.

Also in this room was a crafting table - and not the Minecraft kind. It was a simple, wooden table. I put everything I had gathered onto it. I followed the recipe, using the borax, viper skin, quicksilver and gunpowder. When it was done, I had a magic sand bomb. Basically, you could throw it on hard sand and it would become quicksand. Not particularly useful in an urban area like where I live, but for an Arabian desert? It's practically a necessity.

I threw a bomb onto a patch of hard sand near me; it turned into quicksand. I knew this move would consequence me, but I wanted to follow the story.

"What was that noise?" Sasha asked. "Who's there?" She walked over with a golden lamp. Flames were coming out of the spout. "I'll teach you to sneak around!" She threw the lamp inside the room, which, as I mentioned before, contains gunpowder. Then she slammed the door shut. Sasha was slightly crazy. I threw a sand bomb in desperation at the hard sand, but it was too late. The fire burned away my thief disguise.

"Fantastic." I muttered under my breath. "I really should've thought ahead." I threw another bomb at the sand and jumped through. I swam through the murky water. I reached the altar room and found Fierce Fox. She looked up when she saw me.

"What happened to your costume?" she asked halfheartedly.

"Sasha locked me in a room and set it on fire," I explained. "It was burned away. The good news is I have these." I held out a magic sand bomb. "They turn hard sand into quicksand. Now let's go and free that other guy."

Fierce Fox and I headed over to her cell. With my instruction, she used a sand bomb to create quicksand underneath the wrecking ball from before. It landed on a guard's head; he was knocked out clean. Meanwhile, I spoke to the guy (our ally). He told us to free him. I agreed and scooted around the edges of the cells, coming to the top cells. With the magic sand bombs, I made a few wrecking balls drop to different cells. One wrecking ball fell on a jailer's head; he dropped a key. I took it from him and freed our ally.

"Freedom at last!" he exclaimed. Fierce Fox stood behind me. "Let's get out of here." Both of them followed me to the altar room.

"Follow me, quietly." the guy said, taking the lead. Fierce Fox and I stayed behind him. He led us underneath the main platform and ducked. Naturally, we copied him. We eyed the gold-obsessed guy.

"We need to somehow distract him to get to the lamps." our new ally told us. Now it was time to be slightly cruel. I got slightly closer to the gold-obsessed guy. Some of his gold was on hard sand. I threw a magic sand bomb onto the sand; it turned into quicksand. The gold fell down and landed in the water. The gold-obsessed guy leaped down after it.

"I've lost count!" he exclaimed. "I've lost count!" He scanned the water, eventually leaving the room.

"Fine work!" our ally told me. "Let's get to the lamps."

"Right!" I said. I gave Fierce Fox a look. "Come on. I know which one it is." She nodded and followed me over to the lamp table. "Yet I know we're going to get caught."

"Why don't you stop it, then?" Fierce Fox asked, but not aggressively.

"Changing the story can be a bit daunting." I replied. We faced the lamp table. I skimmed over all of the lamps, eyeing the correct one. It was the oldest-looking lamp; its gold colour was rough. However, it was a one of its kind.

"Let's get out of here before the thieves find us!" our ally said when I showed him the lamp.

"Not so fast," Sasha and the big thief showed up. "The magical lamp is mine. Show it to me!"

"Of course, of course," our ally said calmly. "No cause for alarm." He picked up a lamp. The wrong lamp. On purpose. "I will, indeed, show you the correct lamp."

"Wait!" Fierce Fox protested. I grabbed her arm.

"Come on." I told her. I felt her muscles tense, but she ran with me. Soon, the big thief was chasing after us. We returned to the first room. This time, it wasn't so easy. Fierce Fox and I raced along the layers, the thief right behind us. He nearly grabbed me. If it wasn't for Fierce Fox, that is. She kicked him away, which really only made him flinch. I continued running, adrenaline making my heart thunder.

The thieves were rolling barrels at us, as if we were playing Donkey Kong. I leaped over them. I tripped over others. But Fierce Fox kept saving me. I didn't understand her behaviour. Why was she being so strange? She ended up getting caught by Brutus - the big guy.

"Run!" she squeaked as he dragged her away. I reached the exit. I did want to go back and save her, but sometimes things have to be sacrificed. Besides, I knew she'd be okay. I pushed a button which would bring down the exit. It did do that. However, it also brought an ambush. I was surrounded.

"I'm amazed you got past Brutus," Sasha appeared. "Looks like I have to do everything myself." She threw a bomb at me. Everything turned black.

"Well well well... isn't this a familiar scene?" Sasha asked. I was standing before the altar, holding the right lamp. Brutus, the gold-obsessed guy and the pirate thief were there too. Fierce Fox was in the background. Brutus was holding her fiercely (name pun?).

"I know what you really want, S..." I nearly said 'Sasha', which obviously isn't her real name. But I can't say or write her real name. It's that annoying. "I think it's time you got your happy ending." Sasha eyed me strangely. I placed the lamp onto the altar, fear racing through my system. The altar glowed white. Blue smoke puffed up from the lamp. Then everything darkened.


	54. Arabian Nights 3: Be careful what you wish for

"Everyone, stand back!" Sasha exclaimed. "The Mighty Genie is about to appear!" Heeding her instructions, we stood back, eyeing the altar. Dark blue smoke was erupting from the outstretched, golden paw. Fierce Fox had a muddled expression. My palms were sweaty. The other guys looked slightly nervous. After more dark blue smoke, a genie appeared. He had pale green skin, a dark green beard, pointed ears and a cheeky grin. His clothing was pink and purple. His hat was pink with purple stripes and he was wearing a pink jacket over a purple underlayer. His 'legs' were purple smoke. He was quite small. He was roughly half the size of a regular Poptropican.

"You're the all-powerful genie?" Sasha asked, obviously not impressed. Well, he wasn't the genie from Aladdin. What was she expecting?

"Good things come in small packages, toots!" the genie retorted. "What'll it be?"

Sasha began, "Great and powerful genie, I wish for-"

Brutus stomped his foot, knocking Sasha, Fierce Fox and I to the ground. "Me first!" he declared, storming forward. He headed over to the genie and grabbed the lamp. "I wish for the power to smash anything I touch!"

"Your wish is my command..." the genie told Brutus. He rubbed his glowing palms together and threw purple power onto Brutus. Brutus grinned. Then, because of his power, the floor beneath him began cracking, and the whole place rumbled. It was like an earthquake. The lamp in Brutus' fist began glowing red.

"Uh oh..." said Brutus. Not a very well thought out wish. I wouldn't wish for anything from a genie. They're not trustworthy. And besides, one of my wishes had already come true. Being in Poptropica was a dream come true.

"What have you done?" Sasha asked irritably. "You're breaking the entire cave!"

"You did say smash anything..." the genie retorted. Brutus began freaking out. The lamp exploded, which caused the genie to cheer. "I'm free! I'm finally free!" He took off like a superhero (which he definitely was not).

"We've got to get out of here!" the pirate thief cried. He and the others fled. Sasha disappeared in a puff of smoke. I pushed Fierce Fox out of the way, letting a rock falling from the roof hit me instead. Then all went black.

I awoke on a sandy bench. It was a beautiful night; the moon glowed brightly in the inky-black sky. The oasis - the former home of the Forty Thieves - was gone. Rocks were poking out of the sand and I saw a palm tree. Fierce Fox was next to me as well as an old man. I don't know how to describe her expression. It was confusing.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I thought you were a goner for sure!" the man exclaimed. "That whole cave system collapsed just as your friend and I got you out."

"Where did the thieves go?" I asked. I knew, but I was asking for the sake of the story.

"They scattered like scarabs in the torchlight." the man answered. An interesting simile.

"And the genie?" I asked.

"The whole town's got genie fever!" the man exclaimed, almost nervous. "Maybe the sultan will know what to do."

"Perhaps," I said. I eyed Fierce Fox. Her red hair was slightly messy. "Come on." Up ahead was Brutus. I turned to Fierce Fox. "We have to capture that genie. Things might get intense." I wanted to ask how she was feeling, but right now felt inappropriate. I decided to wait a bit. I approached Brutus. "What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"I'll be safe in the desert," he answered. "Can't break sand, right?"

"He'll come in use later." I quietly told Fierce Fox. "This way." She followed me to the left. We were in the same place as episode one. We passed that brick wall with all the tents and came to the market area. There was purple genie graffiti here and there. Various townsfolk had been affected by the genie. I felt a little bad for them. Right now we had to focus on visiting the sultan.

We reached the sultan. This time, the guards didn't bother us. I explained the whole scenario to him. He laughed.

"Heh, that is like him," he commented. "I must find that genie. You may stay in the palace if you wish, but don't go poking around in here." So, of course, we poked around. Behind the sultan's 'throne' was a button. I pressed it; a golden windshield opened, revealing an entrance.

"This way." I told Fierce Fox. We headed through said entrance, coming to a hidden area. It was a beige tiled area with beige tiled stairs, a photo frame as the exit, mirrored floor, and weird stuff on shelves and tables. There was also some artwork. Fierce Fox followed me right. We passed a bunch of vases, weapons, armour and more. We climbed up a golden staircase, which had artwork of the sultan and a woman watching him with disgust. We entered a room.

It was a purple room with marble pillars and children's drawings on the walls. It was covered in a thin layer of dust and the mirror was cracked. It looked like no one had used the room for a long time. Guess who was there?

Sasha was crying and holding a drawing. She heard us and whipped around, sword out. "Huh?! Who's there?!" She saw us. "You two! How did you get here!? Stay out of my way, unless you want to be part of another fireworks display!" She disappeared in a puff of smoke, dropping the drawing. It was a children's drawing of the sultan and the woman holding hands. Dad and daughter. It honestly made me a little sad - because I know the story. Losing your dad... I can't put it into words. So it didn't become words. It became me. Everything that I was.

"Her diary is locked." Fierce Fox commented, noticing a diary on the dusty bedside table. "Uh... don't mind me asking, but what's going on here?"

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked. "Did I do something?"

"I... asked what's going on here." Fierce Fox repeated quietly.

"It's a long story." I answered, sighing. My fists weakly clenched. "Let's go." We exited the bedroom and climbed up more stairs, reaching the inside of a tower. Past more stairs was a crafting table, then a vertical library full of dusty shelves. I grabbed a few useful pages, like ones with info about how to influence and win wishes from genies. Opposite to the shelves was a large book. I leaped over to it and grabbed it. It was a magic book. Useful in an island such as this.

After that, Fierce Fox and I left the sultan's secret space and returned to that flat, sandy area. I grabbed a geode rock which was full of geode crystals. It's basically like the salt from episode one. I walked over to Brutus and asked him to smash it for us. He did so; we got geode crystals.

"Time for trading." I told Fierce Fox. I frowned at her expression. "Let's go." We returned to that market area. I traded a geode crystal for a burlap sack, then another for sesame oil. I traded the burlap sack for a moonstone. Then I traded the sesame oil for a wishbone. Lots of trading and lots of pulverization, too. It's one of those back-and-forth islands. Not the most exciting thing on Poptropica, so I won't go into too much detail.

Brutus pulverized the moonstone and wishbone for us. Now we had ingredients to make divination dust, which makes invisible spirits visible (well, when I grabbed another burlap sack and some sesame oil to save time). Remember that crafting table back in the sultan's place? Well, that's where we headed. I smashed all of the ingredients together, creating a bomb. Now we could make the invisible visible.

The genie was hiding in a barrel on the top floor of the market place. I threw a bomb at the barrel; the genie popped out, coughing angrily. His grin became one of mockery.

"Can't catch me!" he jeered, disappearing into the sky. He reminded me of the parrot on Skullduggery Island. Suddenly, the camel - she returned to the original owner sometime - raced off. Oh, and she's a girl, apparently. I think she switched genders during the time she was with the thieves.

"Where is she running off to?" Fierce Fox asked.

"You'll see." I replied. "This way." We headed to the sultan's palace. The genie was in front of it, behind a lamp. However, we couldn't reach him. Yet. We walked left, coming across a guard. The camel was licking his helmet. He'd wished for all the ladies to be attracted to him. All the ladies. He should've specified what species. He yelled at the camel to get away from him and ran to the entrance. The camel was standing underneath the lamp.

I jumped onto the camel's hump, then threw a bomb at the lamp. Fierce Fox watched with that strange expression. The genie was revealed; he coughed again.

"This palace is the right place for you two, because you're royal pains!" he grumbled.

"He meant you." Fierce Fox muttered. "Like I'm doing anything."

"You're usually the one doing things," I pointed out. "And, secondly, you're acting weird. Fierce Fox... what's wrong with you?"

"Who cares?" Fierce Fox asked, crossing her arms. "We need to find the genie."

"Alright, then." I said, brow raised. I headed right, returning to the area with the tents holding sand. There was a guy roaming around. He had a large turban on his head; the genie was currently hiding in there. I threw a bomb at the turban; the genie popped out, looking enraged.

"That's it!" he squeaked. "I'm going somewhere you'll never reach me!" He took off like a superhero once again (which, I repeat - he is not).

"Now where did he go this time?" Fierce Fox asked.

"This is a huge waste of time," the turban guy scoffed. "I'm going to get back to work inventing algebra." He dropped a compass he was carrying and stormed off. I picked up the compass and grinned at Fierce Fox. Half-heartedly. Now we were going to do something kind-hearted. With the compass in hand, I climbed to the top of that tower in the market place. The pirate thief was up there, next to the telescope.

"If you use this, you can cross the desert and finally see the world." I told him, handing him the compass.

"You've made my wish come true, and without even a cruel twist!" the pirate thief said joyfully. "Thanks!" I decided not to remind him I dropped a cannonball on his head last episode. "Won't be needing this anymore." He handed us a skeleton key, which is a key that looks like it belongs on Skullduggery Island. After he left, I looked through the telescope. I saw the genie, who was causing mishap.

"There's the genie," Fierce Fox said, peering through the telescope as well. "But how are we supposed to reach him all the way up there?"

"You'll see." I replied. "We'll need a few things." We headed back to the palace. Outside of it is a chest, which is actually the gold-obsessed guy. He let us ransack him. I grabbed a lamp, which we would need. Then Fierce Fox and I headed into that secret place. The first set of stairs (there's a few different areas there) leads into an attic, I think. It's a destroyed attic; the curtains are torn and lying on the ground. Jewelry is all over the place. Pictures are knocked over; so is a chandelier. Moonlight is coming through a decorated window. The red and gold wallpaper is slightly torn.

At the back of the room is a vase. It's holding a large, brown feather. The roc feather. We needed that for another magic spell. After that, we returned to the purple bedroom. It was time to invade some privacy. I unlocked the diary with the skeleton key. I let Fierce Fox read the pages so she understood the story a little more.

"Samhal...?" she asked. "Is that the genie?"

"Yes," I replied. "And you'll see who that girl is, too. This way." We exited that room and returned to the old library tower. I gazed at the crafting table. Then at Fierce Fox. "You want a turn? How about... I tell you what to do... and you can fly. After all, I was the one who flew on Super Power Island. It's your turn."

"Alright." Fierce Fox said, walking over to the crafting table. I handed her the roc feather, sesame oil and moon dust and told her how to make the levitation formula. She obliged and made said potion. She cheered and held it in the air. "I did it!" She dropped it; it landed on the carpet, causing it to become a flying carpet. "Hey, a magic carpet. Now we're in a whole new world."

"A whole new world." I sung in agreement, again referencing Aladdin. The carpet went into Fierce Fox's inventory. "Alright, now we've got everything: a lamp to capture the genie, his true name - Samhal - and it's almost midnight. We can capture that genie."

With that, we headed outside. We returned to that sandy tent place. The genie was in the sky, laughing at us.

"Fly up on that carpet and confront him." I told Fierce Fox. She nodded and hopped aboard. She flew into the sky, circling Samhal. She was a natural, unsurprisingly.

"You'll always be one step behind me!" Samhal mocked, flying away. Fierce Fox followed him. He was on top of the sandy tent place.

"I've got you now Samhal, no more games!" she growled, ready to beat him up.

"That's what you think, first you'll have to catch me!" Samhal cackled, racing off. Fierce Fox lowered the carpet, eyeing me.

"Hop on." she told me. I did so. I almost stumbled and fell over when we started moving. Fierce Fox asked, "Where do we go?"

"The Sultan's secret room," I answered. "There'll be a puzzle in store for us. I'll help you solve it best I can." Fierce Fox nodded. Then we took off. The carpet was going rather fast; chills crawled up my spine. The wind caught my short, blonde hair and grey scarf. Fierce Fox finally looked excited about something. We soon arrived at the palace. We entered the sultan's secret place and confronted Samhal. We were all floating above the mirrored floor.

"There's nowhere to hide now." Fierce Fox growled, eyeing the genie. My knees were bent; I was trying to keep my balance.

"That's what you think!" Samhal mocked, moving right. He stopped in the room full of vases and shelves. Very confusing. He grinned at us, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I've got a few more tricks up my turban! Let's see if you two can find my hiding places."

"Alright," I turned to Fierce Fox. "I'll tell you where he's hiding. It's your job to remember said places and hit them with the bomb." I looked at the mirrored floor. "Chest," I said, eyeing a shaking box. "Small painting. Large, blue vase. Sword. Vase next to suit of armour." Fierce Fox, following my instructions, threw the bombs at said places. The genie was popped out. He looked angry.

"Try to outwit this spell." he growled at us, disappearing. I eyed his movements. He was a little faster and trickier this time; I made one mistake. But we got past round two. A bit more of this later (a few hiccups along the way) and we'd busted him.

"Enough of these games!" he scoffed, flying to the lamp room (the attic). Fierce Fox and I followed him. We climbed off the magic carpet and confronted Samhal in front of the shining moon. I pulled out the lamp, ready to capture him. However, Sasha appeared and knocked me out of the way. She stole the lamp, glaring at the genie.

"No more running!" she declared. "Time to grant me my wish!" Then the sultan showed up, distress in his eyes.

"Wait!" he shouted, but Sasha was already making her wish.

"Samhal," she said. "I wish to have your powers!" The lamp was trapping the smoke that he floated around on.

"Your wish is my command, master." Samhal replied, his eyes clouded. Now Sasha was the genie. Her skin became pale green and she floated on red smoke. She wore red, imposing clothing with a red cloak. Her dark hair was in a short ponytail and she was wearing golden jewelry. Red marks were underneath her left eye. Scary.

"The kingdom is mine!" she boomed, flying around on her cloud of smoke.

"You've got to stop her!" the sultan begged us, tears in his eyes.

"You are welcome to try, I am now an all-powerful genie!" Sasha retorted, cackling.

"Well, I'm the prophesied hero!" I retorted, using my title to my advantage. "And my friends and I will stop you!"

"Ha ha!" Sasha mocked, giving us a dark grin. "Good luck trying!" Her palms glowed with red fire; she smashed the golden window and flew outside, cackling wickedly.

"Whatever it takes, please," the sultan begged, crying hysterically. "You must bring her back." Fierce Fox and I nodded at each other and jumped onto the carpet. We flew into the night, chasing after Sasha. She was hovering in front of the palace, an evil smirk on her face.

"Finally, I have the power to reshape this kingdom." she cackled. Riding on the magic carpet, Fierce Fox and I confronted her.

"Stop!" Fierce Fox yelled. "There's been too much destruction already!"

"I'm only just getting started!" Sasha retorted. She rubbed her palms together. Red smoke appeared above our heads. An anvil fell down from the smoke. Fierce Fox moved the carpet out of the way just in time; we dodged the anvil.

"That was close!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. "She isn't joking around."

"You don't say," I replied. "Let's put a stop to this." The magic carpet flew upwards, passing the Arabic, stone buildings. Gold and art was on the walls. Red smoke appeared, dropping various items our way. Such as elephants, fridges, anvils, cannons, clocks and much more. Fierce Fox was driving, so we barely got hit. We made it to the top; the clear, moonlit sky was behind us. Stars were shimmering. Sasha was there. She was glaring daggers.

"Enough fun and games," she spat. "Hope you like dancing, because I'm about to cut your rug!" With that, the rug was cut. Fierce Fox and I plummeted from the sky. The fear of falling raced through me; my heart was beating like a dream. We landed on the silver platform where the thieves stole things. I landed on Fierce Fox, who had been knocked out.

"I've stolen my share of treasures from this dais," Sasha hissed, appearing nearby us. "And now I'll take your souls!"

"Run...!" Fierce Fox whispered at me. However, the sultan leaped in before anything could happen. He held out the lamp, trapping Sasha by her smoke.

"Scheherazade!" the sultan shouted (that's her real name, very confusing as I said). "Stop!"

"Please, father, let me go!" Sasha begged. Her eyes were red and hypnotized.

"Father?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

"Scheherazade, what have you done?" the sultan asked Sasha. "All of our treasure is gone! We had everything we ever wanted!"

"Not everything..." Sasha retorted.

"We can get it back!" the sultan cheered, sounding relieved. "Yes, you have the power to get our riches back!"

Then Samhal showed up. "Here he goes again. Maybe you have something that will help him see the light."

"That I do." I replied. I pulled out the drawing from that old purple bedroom. The feeling of sadness attached itself to my heart. I gave it to the sultan.

"What's this?" he asked, observing it. He started crying when he realized. "Oh! I've been so blind!"

"I never wanted the life of a princess," Sasha confessed, crying herself. "I wanted what we had before all this. We lived simply then, but we were happy."

"Scheherazade, I'm sorry," the sultan said, upset. "I've been so foolish. But now I know how to fix everything." He faced us. "Thank you, Fierce Fox and Alice. Before I make my wish would you two like to make one, for all your help?"

"I wish to be the world's best banjo player!" Fierce Fox answered, grinning proudly. Weird wish. But I won't judge.

"A fine choice," the sultan told her. "And what about you, Alice?"

The truth was I didn't know what to wish for. I could've wished my dad never died. But then maybe none of this would have happened. I could've wished my dad was back to life when I got home. But... a nagging feeling told me that wasn't a good idea. It would be wonderful and don't get me wrong, I very much wanted to wish that - but it just didn't feel right. So I wished for the second best thing.

"I wish I didn't have my leg problem anymore." I told the sultan. Pretty obvious.

"I don't see anything wrong with your leg." the sultan told me, observing my leg.

"It's a long story." I replied, biting my lip. The sultan gave me an understanding nod and faced the genie.

"As for me..." he took a deep breath. "My greed made me forget what was truly valuable. I wish that I'd never found the lamp in the first place."

"Your wish is my command..." Sasha told us. She rubbed her palms together and covered us in red smoke. We disappeared in a haze of darkness, then re-appeared in the marketplace. We were standing underneath a pink tent. Boxes and potions were in the background. The sun was high in the sky.

"I had all the treasure that I needed right here," the sultan - or merchant, should I say - sighed. They were both wearing clothes of people who worked at the marketplace. "And I was too blind to see it."

"Thank you for giving us another chance." Sasha added.

"For all your help, take this," the merchant said. He handed us the medallion. "Free of charge!"

I was free. Finally. I hadn't felt this like since before Dad died. My leg was normal. I could run without the constant worry of falling over. My wish had come true. It was honestly strange at first, walking around with a normal leg again. But soon the feeling of joy overcame me. I ran into my mom's arms, giving her a big hug - one she definitely deserved. She cried. Then I cried.

Feelings like those makes it worth living. I couldn't wait to see Marcus' reaction.


	55. Galatic Hot Dogs

"I can't believe it," Marcus said, observing my leg. "It's all fixed?"

"Yep," I replied, giving him a grin. Euphoria flowed through me. "No need for that stupid crutch anymore - I'm finally free." My voice was full of the stuff. I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. After so long, and it was fixed like that. I could run free. I ran past the lockers, brushing my hand against the metal doors like a young child. That was what I felt like - young again. Young and free.

"Slow down!" Marcus called, racing after me. "Hey, maybe I should enter Poptropica and get my own wish! I'd wish to enter the MLP world as my OC, Black Lightning." He showed me a picture of his pegasus pony character. "That would rock!"

"Yes," I said. I grinned. I couldn't stop grinning. It was like part of past me had returned at last. The past me that had been crushed so long ago. I was at lost for words.

"You're super dreamy, smarty-mouth," Marcus teased. He adjusted that jacket he always wore. "You're a freaking weirdo. I mean, who else enters computer games?" He laughed. "But seriously, I'm glad I saw you playing Poptropica that one day."

"Me too." I said, still smiling. My toes were tingling.

"You've gotten a lot more confident," Marcus told me. "I'm not one of you sympathetic girls - but even I can see that. Good on you, man."

"Thanks," I replied. My lip quivered. "You're the best, Marcus. I've known Fierce Fox longer yet... I bond with you better. And it's not just you. It's weird. My relationship with Fierce Fox is strained but with my other friends... it's..."

"Don't worry about it," Marcus told me. "My mom said it's good to have a variety of friends. And mothers always know, right?"

"Yeah." I replied. Then I hugged him. He hugged me back. Friendship is something that costs no money whatsoever, yet it's a lot more valuable than riches. Cheesy as that sounds, it's true. You really realize it when you're with people you care about. Trust me on that one.

Galactic Hot Dogs Island, unfortunately, is not my favourite island. I don't mind the advertisement islands too much, but Galactic Hot Dogs is a bit too obnoxious for my tastes. Oh well. Poptropica is Poptropica.

Fierce Fox and I landed in front of a yellow spaceship. I noticed a pale brown banjo was over her shoulder. I guess she must've enjoyed playing the banjo quite a lot, ever since she became the best player for such instrument. Anyway, we approached Humphrey - who is a large, green Poptropican wearing a white shirt and jeans with a strap over his shoulder. He's not exactly human - he's more like an anthropomorphic alien or monster type of thing. He told us he was entering a food competition with his best friend (and captain of the ship), Cosmoe. They were cooking a 'mega-dog'. Like I said, obnoxious.

Fierce Fox and I entered the spaceship and spoke to Cosmoe, who looks a lot more human than Humphrey. He has tan skin and blonde hair that sticks out like a sword. He is wearing an orange jacket, jean shorts, and a white underlayer. We spoke to him. He needed nuclear power to cook his mega-dog. Not exactly safe, Cosmoe. Best part, he made us get it. There's a lot of ways to die in Poptropica, but I didn't really want exposure to nuclear energy to be one of them. Oh well, it didn't happen anyway. You guessed it, Poptropican physics.

Fierce Fox and I headed through Funketown (the name of the place where we had landed) which is a sci-fi inspired city. Pretty much everything is shiny metal and there are lots of aliens roaming around. Thankfully I happen to quite enjoy science-fiction. Fierce Fox and I got to the arena, where the food competition was happening. There was a row of food trucks, all serving various food. Two people were standing near the entrance.

"For the last time, you were born evil and I don't know what kind of a horrible mother I'd be if I didn't raise you to be evil!" the evil queen yelled at her daughter, Princess Dagger.

Princess Dagger protested, "But Mom-"

"But nothing!" the queen scoffed. "We'll have no more of this. Now I've got to assume my queenly duties and stuff my face full of food-truck treats." She raced off, leaving Princess Dagger alone. Princess Dagger has pale pink skin, long, pale purple hair, long eyelashes and wears a blue dress. A small, golden crown is on her head. We spoke to her for a bit. She wasn't very excited about the food competition. She just wanted to leave.

I grabbed a spatula from a food truck known as Milky Way Maki. Somehow, the attendant didn't even notice me taking it. Strange, Poptropican physics are. After grabbing that, Fierce Fox and I headed over to the loudspeaker.

"Let's mess around with this." I said, grinning at Fierce Fox. "Say whatever you want."

"Alrighty," Fierce Fox cracked her knuckles, as if she were going into a fight. She faced the loud speaker. "Will the owner of a hot pink rebel blockade please move your vehicle? It is parked in a tow zone."

"Hey!" a robot guard shouted, eyeing Fierce Fox. "Someone's messing with the loudspeaker!"

"Let's put a stop to that!" the other agreed. The two robots raced over, purple lights on their chests flashing.

"Don't touch the royal loudspeaker!" one snapped at Fierce Fox. They eyed me. "You too!"

"Was that rebellious commoner bothering you, Princess Dagger?" the other asked Princess Dagger. While they were talking, I slipped away. I raced over to the end of the arena, where the robots were milling about before. There were two containments full of green, glowing nuclear pellets. However, they were covered by a lid. I used the spatula to open them, then grabbed a pellet and put it in the fuel cell.

Now that we had what Cosmoe wanted, Fierce Fox and I returned to his ship and gave him the fuel cell.

"You found one!" Cosmoe exclaimed in glee. "With this we will make the best hot dog this contest has ever seen!" He pressed a button that turned on a grill, cooking a large hot dog. Soon, it was cooked to perfection (I hope so - I'm not an expert in cooking hot dogs). "That prize is as good as ours! Nothing could possibly go wrong." He picked up the hot dog and left the spaceship.

"Oh you did not just say that." I muttered. As everyone knows, those are the magic words that cause everything to become a complete disaster. And, naturally, that's exactly what happened. Cosmoe and Humphrey, carrying their hotdog, escaped some angry robot guards. They fled on their ship, taking us with them since we did not get the chance to get off. Princess Dagger also snuck on board, getting Cosmoe and Humphrey into major trouble. They didn't want the queen to think they kidnapped her daughter. Also, they were being pursued by angry robots. Not great.

If you think things couldn't get any worse, you're wrong. A wormhole opened while we were mid-flight and the ship was shaking like an earthquake. The wormhole sucked in Princess Dagger, Cosmoe and Humphrey, leaving Fierce Fox, F.R.E.D and myself behind. F.R.E.D is Cosmoe and Humphrey's pet robot, by the way. When they left, the chaos died down a bit. The ship stopped shaking and F.R.E.D stopped freaking out.

"Wow, that was random," Fierce Fox commented. "Fred, what the heck happened?"

"The crew has been scattered throughout the galaxy!" Fred answered in his robotic voice. "I will help you search for them." He brought up a grid map of the galaxy. It was like something we did in math. In each sector, there were a bunch of planets. Each friend was on one planet in one sector. Not too hard.

"We can split up to do it faster," I told Fierce Fox. "How many friends are you okay with saving?" Fierce Fox shrugged. "Two, then?" She nodded. "Thanks. I know I can be a bit anxious... and lazy, heh. I appreciate it."

"It's alright," Fierce Fox replied. "I'm used to it, anyway."

"You very much are." I chuckled.

I was going to rescue Cosmoe, who was ultimately the hardest of all. Before that, I assisted Fierce Fox by telling her where to get certain objects to rescue other crew members. However, I needed to rescue Cosmoe before Fierce Fox could rescue Princess Dagger, because she needed a particular item to help her rescue the princess.

Before I rescued Cosmoe, however, Fierce Fox rescued Humphrey. Personally, I didn't want to rescue Humphrey myself, due to the fact that you have to use poop in some parts. While she was rescuing Humphrey, I got some things ready to rescue Cosmoe. We'd changed the plan a bit after some debate: we were both going to rescue Princess Dagger, only to make it fair.

I also had to use something from Fierce Fox's rescue mission to rescue Cosmoe. That was a fruit. Remember that Milky Way Maki food truck that I stole the spatula from? Well, over there I traded the fruit for an extra jumbo egg. Now I had everything I needed to rescue Cosmoe. So we flew the ship over to Cosmoe's planet and parked.

It was an Earth-like planet set in the times of the dinosaurs. Grass covered the floor and the trees had pointy leaves. There were rocky platforms that created a cliff. Almost a little intimidating. I leaped up onto a rocky platform, my feet digging into the grass. The humidity made little balls of sweat appear on my arms. I leaped up a few more cliffs, using some flying dinosaurs as transportation. It was a huge puzzle.

I rode another flying dinosaur, narrowly missing a scary-looking prehistoric wasp. That sent chills up my spine. I reached the other side, where there was a platform. On it was a seed pod that I picked up. I headed left, coming to more flying dinosaurs and cliffs.

"Great." I mumbled. Not the biggest fan of jumping puzzles, especially with dinosaurs. I climbed aboard a dinosaur, my legs bent. I ducked, avoiding a wasp's stinger. I leaped onto another dinosaur, the breeze in my hair. Then, I jumped onto a ledge. From there, I was able to reach a cliff. On such cliff was a large nest with two eggs. In one egg was a baby pterodactyl. The other had Cosmoe. The mama dinosaur was there, watching out for danger. Somehow, I managed to swap Cosmoe around with the large egg without the mom noticing. Poptropican physics.

"Thanks, you saved my butt!" Cosmoe told me. "I'll see you back at the ship." He raced off. I grinned and followed him. Now it was time to save Princess Dagger with Fierce Fox's help.

After trading that seed pod for bouncy gelatin, Fierce Fox and I headed over to Princess Dagger's planet. It's a prehistoric planet, sort of like Cosmoe's. However, it's much drier - more like a desert. The ground is baked rocks and there are skeletons of various animals lying around. The air is hot and there are eagles flying above, trying to drop rocks onto our heads. Fierce Fox was carrying the gelatin. I stayed nearby her, praying the falling rocks wouldn't hit me.

Princess Dagger was trapped inside of a cave at the end of the planet. It was blocked off by rocky walls. Fierce Fox and I had to wait for the eagles to drop a rock onto the bouncy gelatin so we could lead it towards the rocky walls and destroy them. We milled around in the hot sun, admiring the dark yellow sky with puffy, white clouds. Eventually, an eagle dropped a rock. It bounced on the gelatin. Fierce Fox and I, being careful, led it over to the rocky walls. We destroyed the first one.

"Nice," I told Fierce Fox. "I'll have a go this time." I took the gelatin and held it above my head. It was honestly pretty nerve-wracking, waiting for a rock to fall down. Eventually, one did; it bounced on the gelatin. My arms shook. I walked right, rather slowly. Relief exploded within me when the rock destroyed the next wall. Then it left when I realized I had to do it all over.

Soon after, we reached Princess Dagger.

"Freedom!" she exclaimed with relief. "Let's get off this pathetic rock!" She raced off. We followed her.

"We're all back together!" Cosmoe said when we were all on board. "Now we can look for that treasure map." (Apparently there was a treasure map, which was not mentioned before, but anyway.) "If only we knew where it was."

"Y'know, maybe it's because the vines cut off too much oxygen to my brain, but I thought I had a bit of a vision heading through that wormhole." Humphrey spoke up.

"Me too!" Princess Dagger agreed. "I thought it was just the trauma of nearly being squashed by asteroids. But I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of the map's location."

"Hot butts, maybe being molecularly disassembled and beamed across the galaxy was the stroke of luck we needed!" Cosmoe exclaimed. So with that, Fierce Fox and I gathered all their clues, then spoke to Fred. He gave us the rough location of the treasure, and we went from there. It was in a pile of space junk. To reach the actual treasure, we had to fly through all the space junk in a Happy Bird like minigame. When I played this myself, I found it very frustrating. Now wasn't any different.

Fierce Fox, however, was an expert. She avoided the green walls and all the garbage like she did it for breakfast. Me, on the other hand, completely failed. I bumped into everything. Fierce Fox, looking irritated, grabbed my arm and directed me past the garbage. Boy, I was glad she was there. Eventually, we reached a pirate ship. It had four legs and looked rather aged; the old metal hull was cracked. There was also a strange-looking skull on the hull. We entered.

The ship was rather dark. A convenient light seemed to be surrounding us. It was completely metal with portholes, metal containers, platforms and electric wires that served as ropes. Dangerous. The way was upwards, headed into the darkness and narrow walls. We were searching for the treasure map, which had three parts. When put together, they formed a globe.

On one of the platforms, which was a ledge sticking out from the wall, was a container. Inside the container was a green, slimy alien-like creature. It popped out like a jumpscare. I was expecting it, but it still gave me a chill. Below it was part of the map, which I picked up. Then we continued through the creepy ship.

We neared the top. There was a lever; I pulled. Then we jumped left, passing a now-open gate. We headed down a level, walked a bit, and switched another switch. It opened another area. Fierce Fox and myself headed that way, getting jump-scared on the way. We went through a vent, then came to another area. It had three barrels full of sticky green stuff. In one was a piece of the map. We flicked another switch after grabbing it.

A creepy dead pirate had the last map piece on his lap. Some of his flesh had rotted away and the rest of it was green.

"There is no treasure! There is only evil!" he warned us, coming to life. Then he died again.

"What did he mean by evil?" Fierce Fox asked, eyeing me. I bit my lip.

"Not the best thing." I replied. "We've got all the pieces. Let's get back to the ship."

"I knew you two could do it!" Cosmoe told us.

"Warning!" Fred spoke up. "Numerous unidentified vehicles on intercept course!"

"Aw, smudge!" Cosmoe groaned. He leaped over to the controls. "The queen must have found us!"

"We're doomed!" Humphrey exclaimed. "I'm going down with my ship!"

"Jingo!" Princess Dagger exclaimed (no idea what that means, but she was referring to us). "What if... you press that button!?"

"Honour's yours." I told Fierce Fox, winking. She nodded and raced over to the controls. There was a big red button. She slammed her fist onto it.

"Here we go!" Cosmoe shouted. "I hope the queen is hungry!" The ship accelerated. Hotdogs flew out of the back in a huge flurry, covering the enemies. I wish I could describe the scene anymore than that, but I can't. It was so obnoxious, hypnotizing and almost terrifying... all at the same time. It wasn't enough to make me want to buy the book, but it did certainly give me a new appreciation for this island.

And then we got the medallion. What a day.


	56. Mystery of the Map

~THIRD PERSON~

Fierce Fox was undoubtedly courageous. Compared to Alice, she was a fully-dressed warrior. But even she had fears. She had gone quiet for a few days because of these fears. These fears were she didn't want anyone to know how weak she could be - not even Alice. Especially after what had happened with her family. She didn't want anything to do with them. Not anymore. Fighting monsters seemed easier than making amends with her parents.

Fierce Fox hoped Alice would forget all about the fashion show incident. Alice wasn't the most pressing person, so Fierce Fox had high hopes. Still, Alice had been suspicious. Fierce Fox hoped she didn't ask any questions. Their relationship was a strained friendship. They worked together well as a team, but as friends... they were odd. Fierce Fox wondered if she should've been nicer when she first met Alice. But then her fears kicked in again. Alice was a human. One from that world.

She had taken everything away from Fierce Fox. How could the Poptropican like such a creature? Yet, she was connected. Alice was strange. Fierce Fox felt angry yet loyal to the blonde-haired girl. Maybe she should talk about... no. Not yet. Fear was building up again. Not just yet.

~ALICE~

Mystery of the Map Island is sort of an advertisement island. Sort of not, since it's based off Poptropica merchandise. I've read the Mystery of the Map comics on FunBrain (good old Funbrain). I quite enjoy them. The island is good too (even though Mya is not in the comics). Anyway, we landed on said island. There's a sandy beach beneath our feet and grass and trees growing everywhere. Grass is growing over a small, rocky cave. It's set in the times of the vikings, so there's not a whole lot of civilization.

Fierce Fox and I walked right, passing a bird sitting on some tall, grass-covered stones. A hot air balloon was sitting in a tree. The base of the tree was loose; it easily could be broken with an axe. A guy was in the hot air balloon. He has dark hair and tan skin. He's wearing a light blue shirt under a dark blue scarf and black jacket. This guy is called Octavian. He's not exactly the good guy.

"You two!" Octavian shouted, staring at us. "Look up here!"

"What are you doing up there?" Fierce Fox asked, squinting at him.

"Never mind why I'm up here - just get me down!" Octavian shouted back.

"How do we do that?" Fierce Fox asked.

"There must be something on this island that you can use," Octavian replied. "This map will help you find it." He dropped a map from his spot in the tree. I picked it up. I grabbed Fierce Fox's arm and led her away from Octavian. Once we were a fair distance away, I began to speak.

"Octavian - the guy in the tree - is not really the hero," I told her. "Quite the opposite, actually. However, we sort of have to go along with the ideal that he can be trusted because of the story-"

"No, we don't," Fierce Fox interrupted. She folded her arms. "We don't always have to go with the story." She gave me a look. "Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone, Alice. If Octavian is really evil, we can put a stop to that if we try something else. We can capture him."

"Capture him...?" I asked, frowning. "Fierce Fox, I don't know about that. How do we capture him?"

"It's easy," Fierce Fox replied, a grin forming on her face. The word 'fox' pounded in my head. My stomach clenched. "We'll surprise attack him. Knock him out when he's not ready for it. That's the best tactic, right?"

"I suppose," I said, biting my lip. "But what will we do with... hey, I've got an idea! We'll take him to the vikings. Yeah, there are vikings. They'll deal with him." Though, honestly, I didn't really want to hurt him too badly. I was meant to be a hero, after all. But I didn't think the vikings would be too harsh on him. Besides, the kids - Mya, Jorge and Oliver - would be safe. So I agreed with the plan. We were going to capture Octavian.

The first thing we needed was an axe to chop the tree down. Luckily, there was an axe nearby. To the right of Octavian's tree is a beach. Flipped upside-down and dunked in the sand is a wooden viking ship. Piles of sand surround it. With a shovel Fierce Fox and I found at a campsite, we dug the sand away. Left behind was an axe. Perfect. I picked it up and put it in my inventory. Now we needed a few more things.

Fierce Fox suggested using the axe to knock out Octavian, but... to me, it seemed a little too gruesome. So instead I said we should use a goblet. This goblet is nearby the fortress of the vikings: a building made of wood poles placed together, standing on a platform. A ditch is underneath the platform. So is waste. However, in that pile of waste is the goblet. It belongs to the vikings, but they threw it out by mistake. Convenient for us. We grabbed it.

There was one last thing. It was at the campsite where we had retrieved the shovel. It was an abandoned tent, made of beige fabric. It was going to be the object we carried Octavian in. Picturing it in my head honestly creeped me out. Well, it was better than simply carrying him. So, walking across the sandy yet grass covered beach, Fierce Fox and I grabbed the abandoned tent. Then we ran.

Fierce Fox and I returned to Octavian's tree. I was too nervous to actually knock Octavian out, so Fierce Fox would have that responsibility. I stood at the bottom of the tree and held out the axe. I had never cut down a tree before - nor did I have any desire to. But this was Poptropica. I swung; the tree fell down. Octavian spilled out of the hot air balloon. Before he could do anything, Fierce Fox knocked him out with the goblet. Only Fierce Fox could knock someone out with a goblet.

"Come on," I said. "We should probably rescue the kids, too."

However, we couldn't exactly reach the entrance of the fortress just yet. We had to fill the ditch with water, then create a wooden log bridge. To do that, I left Fierce Fox to guard Octavian. I headed off to do what I needed to. I caught a fish with the goblet, underneath a beautiful waterfall. I headed over to a dodo nest and lured the dodos away from said nest. Inside their nest was a piece of glass; I grabbed it.

I returned to the campsite and stole some gunpowder. We were raiding that poor camp quite a lot. When we had chopped Octavian's tree down, rope from the hot air balloon had also come down. I had grabbed the rope. Now it would come in use. I headed back to the waterfall. It was quite large. Fresh, blue water poured down from rocky caves. Grassy platforms were sitting in the water. Above the waterfall were piles of black rocks.

Carefully, I jumped up the grassy platforms. When I reached the rocks, I placed the rope down and connected it to the gunpowder. I held out the glass lens and pointed the burning light onto the rope. It caught on fire. Fear tingled through my senses. I hid behind a ledge, kneeling down. I didn't want to die in an explosion. A boom sounded behind me and the ground rumbled. The rocks exploded and went skyrocketing, crash-landing in the cool, blue water.

"Wow, what a rockslide." I commented, grinning silently. I left the rocky area and gazed at the new river the explosion had created. I followed it and returned to the fortress. I didn't have to go through the waste because of the water that now filled the ditch. Fierce Fox and the knocked-out Octavian were still there. Fierce Fox looked a little bored.

"Hey," I climbed onto the ledge she was standing on. "We can go in now." This time, I let her use the axe. She cut down a weak tree that was on the ledge. Now we had a path to the fortress.

"Let's do this." Fierce Fox said, smiling at me. We picked up Octavian and brought him inside through the trash chute. It still felt a little weird. I was happy it was over.

"You there!" the chef was the first one that noticed us. The fortress is wooden inside with a hay roof, stick windows, stone floors and wooden tables covered in meat. The chimney is made out of rocks. "Stop loafing around and..." He noticed Octavian. "What's that supposed to be?"

"A prisoner," I answered, taking a deep breath. "He stole the king's goblet." My memory sometimes came in at the most useful times. Sneakily, I put the goblet in Octavian's hand, so he would look guilty. "And he tried to kill us."

"A prisoner indeed!" the chef exclaimed. "I will tell the king about this. You two put him in the pig's pen. Then get back to work." He raced off. I gave Fierce Fox a wink, then we picked up Octavian. We carried him across the large dining hall, which must've looked pretty strange - two girls carrying a knocked out guy on tent fabric. The men and women sitting at the long, wooden table gave us strange looks, but didn't ask.

We brought Octavian to the next room, which is where the prisoners are stored, including the kids - they were at the end of the room. The pig pen is before that - it's full of mud, a little shed and hey. And pigs, obviously. We dragged Octavian over to it. Suddenly, he wiggled and broke free. He whacked Fierce Fox over the head with the goblet, temporarily dazing her. She fell back. I gulped and took a step backwards.

"You two are idiots," he grumbled. "Did you really think that would work?" He glared at me, holding out the goblet. "I know who you are. You're the prophesied hero! Forget the map - you've got more secrets than even my guidebooks!" He tried to grab me. In fright, I jumped out of the way. I landed beside the pig pen.

"Don't hurt them, Octavian!" the kids cried from the cage. They were watching the battle with eager eyes. Fierce Fox was sitting up, rubbing her head. Her eyes were still dizzy.

"Don't think about moving," Octavian threatened, pulling out a knife from his belt. Fantastic. "You're coming with me."

"Uh... help?" I croaked at Fierce Fox. I backed up against the pig pen. Sweat made my skin sticky. Suddenly, Fierce Fox got up. She leaped into the air and gave Octavian a head-shot with her heel. He whipped around, holding out his knife. I pointed at the cage, eyeing Fierce Fox. I was giving her a message with my eyes: free the kids. Fierce Fox nodded, before gritting her teeth. Octavian tried to hit her, but she dodged his attack. In retaliation, she raised her clenched fist and launched it towards the villain. He cocked his head and avoided it.

Fierce Fox suddenly raced off, holding out the axe. She was headed towards the cage. Now I had to deal with Octavian again. He gave me a dark grin, holding out the knife. He swung it. It cut me on the cheek; pain exploded like a bonfire. I held in my breath, trying to ignore it the best I could. I had fought a god. I had the courage to fight back against a treasure-obsessed Poptropican.

Suddenly, Fierce Fox - with the kids following her - raced past me. Fierce Fox grabbed my wrist, pulling me along. We raced through the viking fortress. Everything was a blur. Wind raced past my ears. The kids were near us, fear expressed on their faces. The vikings and Octavian were chasing us. We exited using the chute.

We jumped onto the log that we had used to reach the fortress before. It raced across the river, carrying the five of us. The vikings and Octavian were still following us. The river, unfortunately, was full of rocks and other obstacles. Worse news, the vikings were throwing rocks. Even more worse news, Octavian had his knife out. And his aim was pretty good.

Somehow I got in charge of driving the log, even though I was insanely freaked out. I avoided the rocks in the river and avoided the boulders flying over my head. One hit Oliver, knocking him out. I gritted my teeth in shame and continued racing forward. The log swerved around more rocks. My hands trembled. From the corner of my eye, I could see Octavian, holding out that gleaming knife. Not as gleaming as his smile.

We were reaching the end of the river. I had a near miss with the river rocks. The kids were screaming. Fierce Fox looked angry. My heart was racing. And Octavian was aiming. The end was so close, I could see it. Then Octavian threw his knife...

...but he missed because we went down a waterfall.

My vision was covered in water. My lungs were gasping for air. I waved my arms around; small bubbles clung to my pale skin. With the little strength I had, I forced myself to the surface. The beach was there. I grabbed onto it, sinking my tired fingers into the soft sand. Relief flooded through me. Fierce Fox and the kids were there, too. I grinned. A viking boat, for some reason, was waiting for us. Then I saw who was standing on it.

"Well well well," Octavian grinned at us. "Look who's here." He held out his knife. "Come with me and no one gets hurt."

I gazed at the dodos dancing around on the sandy beach. They were pretty funny. Suddenly I knew what to do. "Jorge, give me your candy bar."

"How do you know I have a...?" Jorge shook his head. "Okay, here you go." He handed me a chocolate bar; I grinned. I threw it at Octavian. He caught it with surprise in his eyes. Then all of the dodos jumped onto the boat and began chasing after him, reaching for that delectable goodness that was the candy bar.

"Get away! Shoo!" Octavian yelled, racing down the beach. "Aieeee!" The dodos were in hot pursuit. He left behind his boat. The kids smiled at each other (well, except for Jorge who was upset about losing his candy bar).

"Here, have this," I told the kids, handing them the map that Octavian had given us. "You'll need it to go home." Something I wanted to do.

"Thanks," Jorge replied, accepting the map. "Will you come with us?"

"We've got our own adventures in store." Fierce Fox answered. I gave her a nod of approval.

"In case we never see you again, take this." Mya said. She handed us the island medallion. Then the kids left on their boat, waving goodbye to us. I waved goodbye back. I'm not the biggest kid fan, but in a way, I can kind of relate to those kids. I had been trying to find my own way back 'home' after the events of the car crash. The place I lived at wasn't really my 'home' - it was just my house. My home, despite everything, seemed to be Poptropica, a place full of adventures. The place where I could be me. The place where I was important.

It felt good to be home again.


	57. Timmy Failure

Curious thoughts began to flood my mind. I hadn't thought about the end before, strangely. But now it was staring me straight in the face - after next island, it was the end. What would happen? Would I leave Poptropica forever? Would I stay in Poptropica and never return? I didn't know. I didn't want to leave Poptropica. It was my home. But at the same time, my house... it was my home too. My mom, Marcus, school... I didn't want to leave all that behind. Poptropica was merely a computer game, after all.

But, for me, it had been so much more. A source of comfort when Dad died. And now it was somewhere where I was special. I thought about the hero business. Was my trouble over? It seemed the whole Zeus-shenanigan was the big highlight of my heroism. What would happen at the end? I didn't know. I felt scared. I sighed. I was tired of being scared. Fear had controlled my life since I couldn't get over a loss. I was crushed. And, even though I had gotten better, I was still crushed. I took a deep breath.

It was time to grow up and move on.

It was time to be brave and face whatever came at me head-on.

Fierce Fox, a boy named Timmy Failure, a girl named Corrina Corrina and myself were standing in front of a house, covered in stinking garbage. A polar bear was to our left, eating garbage out of a bin. A garbage truck was to our right - the obvious cause of the mess.

"I'm going to need a seriously long shower." I grumbled to myself.

"At last, I have proof of your misdeeds, you nefarious huckster!" Timmy Failure spat at Corrina Corrina. He's a boy with blushed skin; frail hair; a red scarf; a white shirt; blue pants; boots. His shirt was covered in mud and a banana peel was covering his right eye. He's from a book series of the same name (yes I have read it). And no, this is not the end (well technically it is but what I mean is it's not the part where we get the medallion). Unlike other Poptropica islands, the end is shown first, and then the story starts.

"What are you talking about?" Corrina Corrina asked. She has pale skin; black hair with a red ribbon; a pale blue jumper; a black skirt; white shoes. Her clothes were covered in muck. "I was trying to help you!"

"Save it for the magistrate," Timmy scoffed. "You'll be in shackles for the rest of your natural life!"

"I don't have time for this," Corrina Corrina snorted. "Good luck washing off the garbage stink." She stormed off.

"Joke's on her," Timmy said, facing us. "Garbage stink is the ideal olfactory camouflage." I stared at him. He had a cartoonish, drawing-like appearance, similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid islands. Go look the Timmy Failure books up if you want exact details. "That kind of advanced detective technique is why I was able to solve this case in the first place, totally unassisted."

"Wait just one minute," Fierce Fox spoke up. "You didn't solve this case by yourself."

"Of course I did!" Timmy retorted. "I'm the greatest detective alive. My case notes prove it."

"That's not how I remember it," Fierce Fox retorted, looking away. "That's not how I remember it at all..." Cut to black. The screen read, earlier. Fierce Fox and I appeared on a street, which is full of cartoonish buildings. We headed left, passing a bush. Inside that bush was Timmy Failure, his head poked out.

"You two!" he whisper-shouted. "Newcomers! Step lightly. There are evil doings afoot."

"Such as?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"Someone stole my pants!" Timmy exclaimed. Oh no, how evil, I thought sarcastically. I mean, hey. I've dealt with a lot worse than someone's missing pants.

"We'll... be careful, I guess." Fierce Fox replied, shooting me a look. I shrugged.

"You'll need to be more than that," Timmy told us. "Since you two are new around here, you're the only people I can trust. Will you help me collar the criminal?"

"Far be it from us to stand idly while a pants thief terrorizes this fair city." I answered, giving Fierce Fox a small wink.

"Great," Timmy replied. "We'll have to split up, but I'll leave pages from my detective log around town to help you two out. To investigate, you may want to investigate my former business partner. His loyalty is in question." He gave us his detective log. Inside was a page about his polar bear, Total, that apparently came over from following Timmy's cat bowl when he saw it in his former icy home. He was originally Timmy's 'business partner' but Timmy decided he was insufficient and fired him (though Timmy still calls him his partner for whatever reason). The detective incorporation Timmy runs is called Total Failure Inc., which apparently does not fail, despite the name. If it were me, I would call it something else, but who am I to judge?

"You can usually find him at my house, waiting for someone to leave food unguarded." Timmy Failure told us. He climbed out of the bush. His underwear was quite... atrocious, one could say.

"Oh!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. "I didn't realize you meant the pants you were wearing!"

"Oh, come on," Timmy scoffed, winking. "Don't draw attention to it." He walked off. Fierce Fox gave me a look.

"Let's go find ourselves that polar bear." I sighed.

We headed left and passed through a park. Above a swing set was a pole; I grabbed it (naturally). We headed a little more left and came to a large, red-brick mansion. A gardener that looks like Mario from Nintendo was cutting away at a hedge, making an elephant. I jumped onto the hedge with his permission; the trunk fell off. He got upset and let us have his gardening shears. Nice (well, not for him, but for us).

We went right and entered Timmy's house, which is a nice, normal, beige house with a tiled roof. Inside is normal too: fluffy carpet; neat kitchen; bedrooms upstairs; a closet to the left; a roomba zooming along the carpet. A large, fluffy polar bear was in the kitchen, gazing longingly at the cupboard.

"If you want anyone to be your friend, give them food." I said jokingly to Fierce Fox, as I leaped onto the roomba. I eyed the fridge. "It always works."

"Depends what type of food, know-it-all." Fierce Fox replied, raising her brow.

"Well, for Total, it doesn't matter," I said, jumping onto the fridge. It's funny how it's perfectly normal to jump on fridges and other objects in Poptropica. "He'll even eat garbage." I looked at the cupboard. The door was locked with a lock I could cut with gardening shears. So I did that: I got some crispy rice treats (rice crispy treats). I gave Total one - now he would pretty much follow me anywhere. Food logic as I discussed above.

After grabbing a pen from a shelf, Fierce Fox and I went upstairs. We entered Timmy's blue bedroom. I gave Fierce Fox the honour of pushing a random scarecrow out the window.

"And that's not important?" she asked.

"Yes, but it doesn't really matter." I assured her. We headed outside and found the scarecrow, who is known as Garbanzo Man. We picked up Garbanzo Man's mask, which is a paper bag. Fantastic, truly. All three of us headed right, reaching an apartment building in construction. I decided to let Fierce Fox have some more fun and gave her the Garbanzo Man mask. Before I continued instructing her, I tipped over a garbage can. Total laid down on the ground and began consuming the contents, his bouncy belly exposed. A trampoline for Fierce Fox to get onto the building.

"Climb up until you can jump onto the roof of the bank," I told Fierce Fox. "When you can, enter the bank and jump down. Put the mask on. Scare the kid at the bottom and grab his video camera. Don't forget to grab stuff on your ascent up the apartment building." Fierce Fox gave me a nod and began scaling the building. I watched, almost laughing. It was almost funny. Suddenly I felt sad. My adventures were almost over. I wondered if Fierce Fox knew. How could I tell her?

Now we had almost everything (except Total, who had left for some reason). We headed right and came to a zoo. Nearby a silver cage surrounded by green bushland and holding a tiger was a red bucket. I picked it up. A little more right was a little sewer-like cage with a female polar bear. She was hitting a beach ball back and forth; it was being carried by wind from a fan. Now it was time for a puzzle. I pulled out the pole and put my brain to work.

I had to hit a red button which controlled a fan and the breeze of the ball. I had to get the lady polar bear to hit the ball in my direction. It was timing-related. Fierce Fox peered over my shoulder, turning up her nose at the sight of a puzzle. It was slightly agitating. But I managed to complete it and get the beach ball.

We stopped at Timmy's house and used the rice crispies to get Total to follow us. Well, that was before Timmy showed up.

"Not so fast!" he exclaimed. "I won't let you abscond with my partner that easily."

"He was just standing here," Fierce Fox retorted. "He wasn't doing anything."

"That's exactly the problem," Timmy told us. "He needs to be watched around the clock so he doesn't slack off in the kitchen all day."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"Easy, with the Lazy Bear 2000," Timmy answered. "I'm far too busy to make it myself, so I'm delegating the responsibility to you two. Here are the instructions." It wasn't the most... complicated invention. It was basically a box on a camera. Written in black marker on the box is Lazy Bear 2000. Really genius. The good news is we had everything except the box. The better news is I knew where to get that box.

Fierce Fox and I went over to the mansion. On a hedge shaped like a giraffe was a box. Timmy was there too - he found the box before us. The box was on the giraffe's head. To get the box, we had to throw the beach ball at Timmy's face. It rebounded and hit the box, knocking it off. Timmy wasn't sure if that was what he had in mind. I didn't really think so either.

Anyway, we had all the things we needed for the Lazy Bear 2000. Fierce Fox and I assembled it. It wasn't very hard to assemble, let me be honest.

"Nice work," Timmy said, entering the house. "Now we'll be able to catch my slumbering partner in the act." He gave us a grin. "I've got another lead for you. A classmate of mine has been acting friendly - a little too friendly. I'd like you to check him out." This classmate of Timmy is named Charles "Rollo" Tookus. Apparently he is not very intelligent, even though he has a 4.6 grade average. According to Timmy, that's because he studies obsessively. Studying. Not my favourite thing in the world, but it's something I do.

Fierce Fox, Total and I went over to the park where I got the pole. Charles - who, no offence, is quite large - was stuck in the slide.

"Help! I'm stuck!" he yelped, his legs sticking out.

"There must be a way to get that boy out of there..." Fierce Fox said, looking at me. I nodded and went to the top of the slide. I threw a crispy rice treat inside; Total jumped in after it. This caused Charles to come flying out, but Total to become stuck. So now we had to free Total. And that was by freaking Charles out. Because when he's freaking out over a test, Charles' head bobbles and an earthquake starts.

"I heard there was a pop quiz scheduled for tomorrow." I told Charles.

"A pop quiz?" Charles asked, looking anxious. "Oh no! Do you know what subject?"

"English." I answered. After Science, English is definitely my favourite subject. I find writing not especially difficult and even fun in small doses.

"That's my worst subject!" Charles exclaimed. His head began to bobble.

"Yeah, and wait until you find out about the time limit!" Fierce Fox added in.

"Why, what's with the time limit?" Charles asked, looking even more nervous.

"It's only ten minutes long." I answered, grinning at Fierce Fox.

"Ten minutes?" Charles asked, vibrating even more. Total's nose was bouncing up and down. "What if I don't answer all the questions in time?"

"There's one more twist you won't believe." I said, feeling a little mean. Well, it was for Total. That polar bear is rather adorable.

"What else could there possibly be?" Charles asked, stunned.

"This test will go on your permanent record!" I answered, smiling. That would make even a confident student shiver in their skin. Charles' face had gone purple and the world seemed to be shaking. Total popped out of the slide and landed next to us. A piece of paper also popped out.

I took a deep breath. "Oh, sorry, I was thinking of next week."

The shaking stopped. Charles breathed out in relief. "Oh. What a relief!" I picked up the piece of paper. It was from the detective log. It was about a girl named Molly Moskins, who Timmy 'needed' for whatever reason. She has mismatched pupils, which makes it a little hard to look her in the eye. And she's shoe-obsessed. Said girl raced over to us, distress expressed on her face.

"Where's Timmy?" she asked. "Where, oh where? I need Timmy's help!"

"Is there anything we can help with?" Fierce Fox asked, smiling.

"You two don't look as brave as Timmy, or half as good-looking, but beggars can't be choosers." Molly answered (strangely, it almost felt good to be insulted in such a way).

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Fierce Fox said, her tone becoming bitter. "What do you need help with?"

"It's my cat, Señor Burrito!" Molly told us. "She's stuck in the vending machine at the bowling alley!" (Señor refers to someone who is male, but whatever).

"Why can't you just buy something from the machine?" Fierce Fox asked.

"It only takes coins, and I have bills!" Molly answered.

"We'll take the money and figure something out." I told her, holding out my hand. Molly gave me a look of disgust.

"Does that usually work for you?" she asked, scoffing. "I'll buy something - shoes, maybe - but I'm not giving away my allowance."

"Shoes?" Fierce Fox asked, giving me a look. "Timmy might have a pair stashed at his headquarters." So with that, we returned to Timmy's house. The roomba had stopped moving and was vibrating intensely. Fierce Fox and I watched the footage from the Lazy Bear 2000. It showed the roomba zooming across the carpet and consuming the key for Timmy's headquarters (which is a closet). I don't know why the key was just sitting around on the carpet, but whatever. We needed it back.

Fierce Fox had gotten a screwdriver from when she was climbing up the apartment building. We used it to open the roomba and get the Total Failure Office Key, which, like I said, is a closet. However, in this closet was a pair of red shoes. We picked them up. We headed back over to the park and sold them to Molly. She really liked them and gave us some money. Bingo.

Fierce Fox, Total and I travelled a long way back to the zoo. There's a chicken nugget stand there. As well as picking up a detective log page, we bought a hunk of chicken nuggets. And we got some change as well. Now we could go and buy something at the vending machine at the bowling alley. So we went over to said place.

The bowling alley is old with red wallpaper, a filthy carpet and shelves full of bowling shoes. And, of course, the vending machine at the front. Inside that vending machine, indeed, was a ginger she-cat: Señor Burrito. I used the change to buy her... and some bon-bons which came for free.

"I bet Total would go crazy for those." Fierce Fox commented, eyeing the bon-bons. I gave her a hearty nod. We returned to Molly and gave her Señor Burrito back. She was ecstatic.

"I was wrong about you two!" she exclaimed. "Next time, I'm coming to you two first!"

"Thanks," I replied. "We're called Foxes at Manchester if you're wondering." Suddenly, the garbage truck passed us. Timmy's blue pants were flying out the back like a flag.

"Timmy's pants are in the back of that truck!" Fierce Fox exclaimed.

"I'd say ask Timmy, but I think he's still on the tower." Molly told us, giving us a hint.

"It's up to us to investigate, then." Fierce Fox said, puffing out her chest. I gave her a nod. She and I ran left, chasing the garbage truck. However, we were not quick enough to keep up with it. There was something for us on the roof of someone's house, though. It was a page from the detective log. It explained what had happened to Timmy's pants. His mom had thrown them out because she saw them as trash. So really, there was no criminal. Only miscommunication. Wow.

Fierce Fox and I led Total over to the apartment building. We gave him garbage; he became a trampoline. The both of us headed to the top, where Timmy was waiting (climbing was the typical jumping and climbing).

"The pants could be in the trash truck." Fierce Fox told Timmy.

"I can see it from here, but we'll need some way to get after it!" Timmy replied. He looked thoughtful. "There's one solution: Crispin Flavius' car! I assume he's trying trying to top his lousy bowling record..."

"Got it." I said. I grabbed Fierce Fox's arm and we headed down. We returned to Timmy's house and got Total to follow us, using the good old rice krispies. We headed into the bowling alley. We couldn't get to the bowling itself since the attendant saw us as too young. Now it was time for something beautiful. I fed Total a bon-bon and he began dancing. Quite astonishing.

"Wow, that bear can dance!" the attendant said, watching Total in awe. Fierce Fox and I slipped past, arriving in the bowling alley itself. It's your typical bowling alley: wooden floor, pins, leather couches. I decided to let Fierce Fox bowl, since she was a natural at everything.

"Come to take a shot at the king, huh?" Crispin Flavius asked mockingly. He was standing by the bowling lanes, his black hair gelled back. He was holding a bowling ball.

"Excuse me?" Fierce Fox asked incredulously.

"I'm the greatest bowler in town!" Crispin replied arrogantly. "No one denies this."

"I bet I could beat you." Fierce Fox said, folding her arms.

"Ha!" Crispin laughed. "I'd hand you my car keys if you can throw a better game than me!"

"You're on!" Fierce Fox said fiercely (duh). And so the games begun. I watched from the side, eyeing the determination in Fierce Fox's eyes. She easily bet Crispin. It was inevitable. She was just too good.

"I can't believe you beat my record!" Crispin exclaimed. He sighed and held out his car keys. "Fine, take my car keys, don't scratch the paint." Fierce Fox accepted the car keys. We headed outside (we could get Total again later) and found Crispin Flavius' car - a red, 80's style vehicle. I couldn't drive that jeep on Cryptids Island and I was in no mood to drive a real car.

"After those pants!" Fierce Fox yelled, taking the wheel. I buckled up, taking a deep breath. We zoomed forward, exhaust coming out the back (not the nicest car I've seen). Suddenly, Fierce Fox accelerated too fast and crashed into someone's yellow wood house. Sweat rolled down my cheeks and I stopped breathing for a moment. I was reminded of the car crash when my leg was ruined and Dad...

"What in the blazes?!" the resident asked, coming out to survey the damage. "Why is that hoodlum Crispin's car in my living room?!" Fierce Fox and I were lying on the sidewalk, the red car leaking smoke. It was stuck in the house, sticking out. We stood up.

"Our ride is cooked!" Fierce Fox exclaimed. "Now what?"

"Well, this is no good," Timmy said, walking over. "We need a Plan B." He looked in the other direction. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but it's time to unleash..." He paused.

"...yes?" Fierce Fox asked.

"Silence!" Timmy said, holding out his hand. "Let me have this dramatic pause." Fierce Fox and I looked around for a bit before Timmy spoke again. "...The Totalmobile!"

"The what now?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow.

"It's for dire emergencies," Timmy explained, sounding dramatic. "But it's hard to imagine a more critical moment than this." Yeah, sure, I thought, secretly rolling my eyes. Timmy held out a page from the detective log. "These are the instructions. Gather the necessary equipment and come back to me." The page showed a diagram of a wagon being pulled by Total, who was chasing a bucket of chicken nuggets being held up by a fishing rod. The fishing rod was connected to the wagon. The wagon had 'greatness' written on it in black marker.

There were a few things we needed. One was Total, who was inside Timmy's house. After consuming a packet of rice crispies, he began following us. We headed to the left, back to that mansion. The angry Mario-like gardner was still there, his arms folded. I gave Total a bon-bon; his silly dancing antics distracted the gardner. Now that the gardener was distracted, we could take his red wagon.

"Is that everything?" Fierce Fox asked, taking the wagon.

"Yes." I said, giving Total some crispy rice treats to follow us. We headed over to Timmy, who was in his street. I said, "The Totalmobile is ready. We just need to put it together."

"Only one problem." Timmy said, looking anxious.

"What now?" Fierce Fox asked impatiently.

"She who must not be named!" Timmy exclaimed. "She's after the trash truck too!" The garbage truck passed us. A girl on her bike was following it. It was the same girl we saw at the beginning (or end?) of the island - Corrina Corrina - except without the muck (which is something that would happen).

"Oh, so maybe we don't even have to go through all this effort." Fierce Fox said, grinning.

"Quite the contrary!" Timmy retorted, wagging a finger. "We have to get there first! Let's go!" With that, all three of us crammed into the red wagon which was pulled by Total. We raced along the road, Corrina Corrina right beside us. The garbage truck was ahead. Garbage was flying out the back, becoming an obstacle. Total didn't even notice; he was too busy staring at the chicken nuggets in a bucket.

Fierce Fox was driving, thank goodness. I was hanging on for my life, even though this was nothing compared to other things I'd done. Fierce Fox avoided the lumps of garbage like she did it for breakfast. We zoomed back and forth, lumps of clothes, banana peels and other things flying towards us. Thank goodness Fierce Fox was a good driver. That stuff looked disgusting.

"You won't beat me this time, Corrina Corrina!" Timmy yelled at his foe. The truck zoomed ahead, then stopped.

"The truck's stopping!" I yelped. "Watch out!"

"Nonsense!" Timmy retorted. I gave Fierce Fox a glance. "Faster Total!" Us and Corrina Corrina increased in speed. We crashed straight into the garbage. Hot, yucky mess went all over the place. Everyone was drenched in the revolting mess and Total was consuming bin fulls of the stuff. I sighed irritably. However, Timmy was wearing his pants. He seemed happy about it.

"My pants!" he cried. "My wonderful, flattering pants!"

"There was probably a way to get them back without all the drama." Corrina Corrina pointed out logically.

"Don't give me the innocent act," Timmy retorted, glaring at Corrina Corrina. "I know what you've done."

"Excuse me?" Corrina Corrina asked, glaring straight back at Timmy.

"Clearly, you stole my pants and planted them in order to get credit for solving the case!" Timmy answered. He had the same look he did at the beginning/end of the island. "At last, I have proof of your misdeeds, you nefarious huckster!"

"What are you talking about?" Corrina Corrina asked, with the same tone she had at the beginning/end of the island. It was that scene all over again. "I was trying to help you!"

"Save it for the magistrate," Timmy scoffed. "You'll be in shackles for the rest of your natural life!"

"I don't have time for this," Corrina Corrina snorted. "Good luck washing off the garbage stink." She walked off.

"Joke's on her," I quoted. "Garbage stink is the ideal olfactory camouflage."

"Yes, very much." Timmy agreed, nodding.

"Let's not go through all this again," Fierce Fox sighed. "Just give us the darn medallion."

"If that's what it takes to get you two to leave, so be it," Timmy said, handing us the medallion. "May we never meet again." I gave Fierce Fox a look. It was then I knew I had to tell her about the end. Somehow. I didn't know what would happen, but it was good to be prepared. I sighed. I didn't know how she would react, either. We would see.


	58. Escape from Pelican Rock

It didn't feel real. The end didn't feel real. I didn't want it to be real. I felt like I hadn't done enough yet, seen enough yet...

"You're so brave, Alice," Mom told me, staring at me with her chocolate-brown eyes. She wrapped her arms around my skinny frame. "We're all so proud of you. You've grown up so much."

"Thanks." I replied, feelings mixing up inside me like a smoothie. I appreciated the kind words but I knew they couldn't change the end.

"Don't worry, Al," Marcus gave my shoulder a pat. "You'll do great." We watched Chrissi and her messed up gang. They were sort of sitting near each other, even though most of the time Chrissi was by herself. I'd been avoiding them at all costs. Quite frankly I wanted nothing to do with them. Well... until then.

"I should speak to Chrissi sometime," I mused. She looked like Fierce Fox. "We need to talk about Louisa."

"Do what you want." Marcus replied, shrugging. "I haven't spoken to those girls a lot, so, uh, I can't really give you a whole lot of advice."

"That's okay," I said, smiling at my friend. "I want to do it by myself anyway." I watched the gang. They were mildly conversing with each other. Chrissi wasn't paying attention to them. They hadn't bullied me for a long time. I guess Louisa's death had affected them that badly. I felt bad for them. No one deserved to feel like that.

"I'll talk to her sometime," I said, propping my chin on my hands. "Sometime."

Fear was building up inside me. I had to speak to Fierce Fox about the end - something I hadn't focused too much on. How would she react? I didn't know. I was about to find out.

I landed on Home Island. It was then I realized I wouldn't see a lot of my new friends again either. I would miss them. I'd miss everything. The adventures, the puzzles, the searching-through-bins, even the mundane activities. It wasn't fair. I didn't want it to end.

"Hey," I approached Fierce Fox. She was standing on the bridge. I gave Amelia a wave; she gave me a hearty grin in return. Amelia was so positive. I envied her energy. "There's something I need to tell you." Fierce Fox gave me a stare of interest. "We should probably go somewhere private." Fierce Fox nodded. She led me over to her little bedroom in her home: it looked the same as last time. Much more interesting than my room. The firework patterns really suited her bed.

We sat down on such bed. An awkward silence filled the room for a few moments before I took a deep breath.

"So, you know how I'm from another world?" I asked. Fierce Fox asked. She was being awfully quiet. "Well, um... I'm not exactly sure if this is true or not, but I think this may be our last island quest. In our world, this is the last Poptropica Island. There are no more quests after this. We've got all the medallions."

"So this is the last one?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. I nodded. She paused for a moment. My lip quivered.

"I don't really know how you feel about me," I spoke. "I don't know why you act the way you act. There's a lot about you - about everything - I don't know. And I especially don't know how you feel right now. Relieved? Sad? It's a mystery and only you know the answer. But I will tell you how I feel. I'll miss you, Fierce Fox. I'll miss Poptropica. I'll miss everything. This is my home. You're my friend. I've never been to a place where I've felt more comfortable." Tears were forming in my eyes. Emotion began washing over me. I didn't want to say goodbye. Not yet.

"Alice..." Fierce Fox looked like she wanted to say something. Her fists clenched. "I'll miss you too. You're a great working partner." She took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you. I knew you were coming, Alice." She looked away. "I knew everything. I knew you were a human. I knew about the prophecy. I knew you'd come."

"What?" I asked, gasping.

~THIRD PERSON~

She was so tired. The girl was so tired. Nothing happened. Her parents were obsessed with their work. They were the top of the food chain. Yet the girl felt like she was at the very bottom. She was tired.

Until that came.

She'd been chosen. She'd been chosen to be Poptropica's hero. She could tell by the grand, yellow blimp that had arrived at her house. Blue vines were growing all over her doorstep. The blimp was waiting to take her away.

"That damn blue box," her ever-busy mother observed the girl's house. "Holy smokes... you've been chosen, m'girl. You're the chosen hero. You'll be the one to save us."

"What?" the girl asked, staring at her mother.

"You're the one in the prophecy, girl," the mother breathed, her eyes widening in shock. "You're the flippin' prophesied hero."

"Dad was..." the girl gulped. "But Dad said it would be someone from another world. A human."

"You'll be the human's buddy," the mother replied. She placed a trembling hand on the girl's shoulder. "M'girl, this is serious. You basically represent the human hero, so you'll be right alongside 'em. You're gonna save the world, kid. Your dad was right."

"I'm... I'm the prophesied hero." the red-haired girl repeated. "The prophesied hero."

~ALICE~

Fierce Fox and I were headed over to Escape From Pelican Rock Island - the lucky last island (unfortunately not my favourite, but I'd try my hardest to enjoy it). My feelings were mixed. I'd always thought Poptropicans just poofed out of boxes, but apparently they have backstories. And every Poptropican is the main hero in different timelines, so that's why Fierce Fox is the only one trying to save the day. It made me think. Did the Zeus shenanigan only affect our timeline? If it did, bad for us, but it wouldn't affect all of Poptropica. After all, I hadn't heard of anyone else entering Poptropica (or any video game for that matter).

"My dad was a bit dodgy too, Fierce Fox," I told my friend. "He was a criminal. A criminal and he never told me. It's awful. Then he died." I looked away as we landed on Escape From Pelican Rock. "I don't want to imagine how you must've felt when your dad tried to..." I trailed off. "Thanks for telling me. It's good to get to know you. Even if... you already knew about me..."

"I'm sorry," Fierce Fox replied, sounding genuine. She gave me a grin. "You're not so bad for a human."

"And you're one heck of a Poptropican." I laughed in response. She was really awesome. We had a short hug that wasn't too awkward.

"If we're together, we'll be okay," Fierce Fox said, smiling. "We can do anything."

"Yes," I agreed, confidently. "Anything." Fierce Fox and I focused on the island. Lucky last island. It's similar to a city. There are houses of various colours; cement roads and paths; blue sky; ferry market; crates full of fruit; a bank; the Golden Gate Bridge (it's based off San Francisco). Fierce Fox and I were milling around the fruit boxes when a thief ran past, money trailing out of a bag behind her.

"We'll get caught when we go after her," I informed Fierce Fox. "We'll go to jail."

"We'll find another way to bust her," Fierce Fox replied, cracking her knuckles. "We'll take her down."

"That won't work," I replied. I tapped my chin. "Maybe... we'll just follow the island plot. If we do, I know it'll work out in the end." I was about eighty percent sure.

"Fine." Fierce Fox grumbled, snorting. "We'll play safe."

"Sorry." I replied, feeling guilty. I looked away.

"Well, it's your last island quest," Fierce Fox told me with a comforting gaze. "Do what you want."

My eyes lit up. "Thanks!" So, with that, we chased after the thief, whose name is the Booted Bandit. She was running up a dirt hill covered in buildings. One of these buildings is a fish warehouse, which is quite tall. The mountain also had a stone path winding upwards. Fierce Fox and I climbed said path. The Booted Bandit was way ahead and I knew we weren't going to catch her. Fierce Fox, however, had other ideas. She grabbed my wrist with a burst of strength. The air flew out of my lungs. I gasped in surprised as we raced upwards.

"We'll stop her." Fierce Fox promised encouragingly. I gave her a smile as she led me over buildings and muddy slopes. We reached the top. The Booted Bandit was placing her money down. Fierce Fox and I approached her. She gave us a dark grin.

"Well well well," she spat. "It's the prophesied hero and her little friend. Aren't I lucky?" She laughed. "Sorry, girls. You've walked straight into a trap." She placed a sheet of cloth over Fierce Fox's head and shoved me off the edge of the hill. I fell down and down. I wasn't stopping. It was over. The darkness consumed my vision and my head felt light. I'd lost on the last island to something so stupid. Now Fierce Fox was gone.

I was so stupid.

"Whoa, there!" someone stopped my fall at the bottom of the hill. Grass and trees were surrounding us like walls, letting in some sunlight. Quite pretty. But I didn't focus on that. I was relieved. Relieved to be alive.

"Thanks for saving me." I stared at my saviour. He was taller than me; Athena's height. So not a normal Poptropican. He had a white chiton draped across his shoulders. He had olive skin and mischievous eyes. He was wearing a golden helmet with two little wings on the side. In his right palm was a caduceus. He looked familiar. "Who are you?"

"Who am I? I'm Hermes, kiddo - messenger of the gods!" my saviour answered cheerfully. "And I've got a message for you. Athena wants to see you on Mythology Island right now - she says it's urgent."

"She does... sir?" I replied, biting my lip. "But... my friend is in trouble, and..."

"Your friend'll be fine," Hermes assured me. "I think you already know how to save her." He winked at me. "If I were you, I'd head on over to Mythology Island - whatever Athena wants to speak to you about must be important!" I gave him a nod and reluctantly raced away from the mountain. I hoped Fierce Fox was okay. She's Fierce Fox, I told myself. She can get through it.

I hope, an anxious voice at the back of my head whimpered. I hope.

The blimp touched down on Mythology Island. It was as nice as ever; the sun was out and so were people. The old, beautiful buildings were the same. I passed them, the breeze flowing through my hair. I'd be able to enjoy it more if I wasn't worrying about why Athena wanted to see me or Fierce Fox.

I found Athena by the olive trees. The plump olives were glowing golden, reflecting the sunlight. The bushy green leaves blew gently in the breeze. The goddess was the same as ever. She seemed pleased to see me.

"Greetings, Alice," she greeted me. "I'm afraid I have some alarming news. A new prophecy has arosen."

"What...?" I asked, my eyes widening. "Another prophecy...? What's... what's it about?"

"The lines are this," Athena cleared her throat.

"In a new world, three heroes will appear.

One home again, one competitive and one shaking in fear.

Long gone-vengeance will rise,

Taking the world as its prize.

If the heroes succeed,

We will be free.

But if they lose,

Every world is doomed."

I held my breath for a few moments. Three new heroes? Home again sounded like me, I guessed, but I wasn't sure about the other two. Long gone-vengeance didn't exactly sound appealing either. 'Every world is doomed' was really the worst.

"It seems in another world, more forces will try to destroy the world," Athena mused. "One of vengeance. Perhaps it is my father, Zeus? He has tried twice before. If he is so persistent he may try again."

"Oh no," I said aloud. Zeus was not really a great guy. That got me thinking about something else. "But, um, Athena, what's this new world?"

"That I am unsure of," Athena replied, tapping her chin. "You're more likely to know more about that than me, Alice. You know far more about this world than even I."

"But I haven't heard about any new worlds," I retorted, biting my lip. "Or any new islands recently, either."

"Islands appear occasionally, but one has not appeared for quite a while, if you don't include Monkey Wrench," Athena added. "Speaking of a topic similar, today is your last medallion quest, correct?"

"Yeah." I replied, looking down. The sadness hit me again.

"If this prophecy is true, this is not the end, Alice," Athena told me. "There's still more coming your way. You must be prepared."

Not the end...? Feelings of joy flooded through me. "I can try."

"You have an island quest at the current time, Alice," Athena told me. She pointed in the direction of my blimp. "Your friend requires saving."

"Thanks, Athena!" I replied, turning to walk away.

"Watch out, Alice," Athena warned. "The end is not here. You must be prepared."

I found myself crawling through a vent in a prison on Pelican Rock, thinking about Athena's words. Probably a little too much. I needed to focus on saving Fierce Fox, but those words wouldn't leave my head. Prophecies. The end is not here. Heroes. Everything. Of course I was happy my adventures were not over, but I felt anxious at the same time. I didn't know what to expect now or who the other heroes were. Or this 'vengeance' business.

Come on Alice, I told myself. Fierce Fox needs to be saved. I reached Fierce Fox's prison cell. It was dark (it was night). Fierce Fox was in there, sleeping away. I saw a security guard wave her flashlight over her snoozing figure before walking away. I snuck down and shook Fierce Fox's body as hard as I could.

"Hey," I greeted. "We're getting out of here." Before entering the prison, I grabbed a mannequin Poptropican and bought a red wig (boring yet weird story, don't ask). I helped Fierce Fox out of the bed and put the dummy in her place. "Come on." I led her away from the bed and into the vents.

"What about my friends? I wanna save them." Fierce Fox told me as we hung around in the vents. "And we need to stop the Booted Bandit."

"I think I've got a plan." I replied. "I know how the island ends. I know what to do. Let's do this."

We ended up going to everyone's jail cell and making dummies out of pillows and blankets. Then we snuck out, avoiding the security lights (that took a really really long time). I explained the whole scenario: Fierce Fox wasn't the Booted Bandit, just an identical copy. We needed to bust the real booted bandit. It was kind of ironic that a group of criminals were playing the part of the hero, but whatever. This is reality.

Pretty much every policeman/woman the prison on Pelican Rock had was chasing after us. Not great.

"When we bust the Booted Bandit, it'll be fine," I assured the criminals. "Trust me." To bust said criminal, we had to lure her out into the open.

"We've got that." Two twin criminals assured us. They smirked. "She won't have a chance against us!" The rest of us hid in the bushes while the twin crims found the Booted Bandit on the lighthouse on that big dirt hill.

"How do you know all this?" this older criminal asked me.

"I'm smart." I answered. Sure enough, the Booted Bandit was chasing after the twin criminals who had stolen one of her precious boots. They led her straight into the open where pretty much every police officer saw her.

"It's the Booted Bandit!" one police officer shrieked.

"Get her!" the warden ordered. The police officers surrounded the Booted Bandit who was screaming curses at the top of her lungs. The twins high-fived. I climbed out of the bushes and approached the officers. The Booted Bandit was glaring at me with so much hatred it reminded me with a pang of Louisa.

"I was the one who set this up so she could be caught," I told the police officers. "I... I... I, um, also freed the other prisoners, but... they're innocent! Trust me! I swear on my life!" The police officers faced me.

"That bandit tricked me so I'd get into trouble." Fierce Fox growled. "She's my doppelganger but we're nothing alike."

"She tricked the rest of us!" Another prisoner squawked. Soon everyone began telling their experiences with the Booted Bandit. The criminal herself was glaring daggers at us.

"If this is true..." the main police officer stepped forward. "Then you deserve this." She handed me the island medallion. The island medallion. Shock horror raced through me. Now the end had really hit. It was really over. My heart was racing. I couldn't believe it.

"The end," Fierce Fox's head appeared over my shoulder. She gave me another hug. "Goodbye, Alice."

"Actually, um, this isn't the end," I told my friend. My arms wrapped around her midriff. "Athena called me before and told me... about a new prophecy. She said I'd becoming back... and there was a new world."

"What?" Fierce Fox raised her brow. She stopped the hug. "So... it's not the end."

"Well, for now, yes... but not forever." I said, laughing. I gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Say goodbye to all my friends for me anyway."

"Okay," Fierce Fox replied, her breathing slowing. Mine did too. Some of the Poptropicans watching were sniffling in the background. The emotions were contagious, most unfortunately. I handed Fierce Fox the medallion, tears building in my eyes. Fierce Fox herself almost looked like she wanted to cry.

"Thank you," I said, my lip trembling. "Thank you for everything." I hugged her. Then it was over.


	59. Changes

~ALICE~

As soon as I got home, Mom wrapped her arms around my neck and we sat on the floor and cried and cried. Everything poured out like a river: Poptropica, Dad, Louisa, everything. I couldn't stop crying. I was like a waterworks. Mom was crying too: she was very sensitive.

"It's not over," I breathed through heaving sobs. "There's still more."

"Still more?" Mom asked, surprised. She squeezed my shoulders. "We'll be ready for whatever comes at us, won't we, Alice?"

I nodded. "I think we will." I paused, eyeing my grey scarf. "I really should wear some other colours."

"I like the grey," Mom told me, wiping tears from her eyes. "It suits you, Alice."

"I want to change some things," I replied. "Like the backyard, I want to move on. But I can't really argue if the grey makes a good fashion statement." Mom laughed. I did too. I love moments like this. Simple humor that's not mixed in with the complications of life. Or just simplicity in general. Such a valuable thing yet sometimes so hard to get.

Mom gave me another hug. "It's nearly the end of the year, too. We'll need to get ready for Christmas! What should I get you for a present? Another Poptropica membership?"

"No," I replied. Mom looked surprised. I tapped my chin. "I could use some school stuff. I'm going into a higher level next year - I'll need a ton of stuff for then. Pencils, notebooks, clothes, extra sleep, a lot more time, a new computer..."

Mom laughed and ruffled my blonde curls. "You really are changing."

"I was kidding, of course I want a Poptropica membership!" I laughed in response. "Though, I actually do need school stuff. And a new computer would be nice..." Mom and I laughed again. Simplicity really is something beautiful.

Marcus gave me a smirk as I walked over to Chrissi's table, my heart heavy. I still couldn't believe my journey was over (for now, anyway). I had no idea when this second prophecy would take place, but hopefully it wouldn't be too soon. I love Poptropica but I really needed a break to focus on my school work. Exams and tests were coming up and I wanted to be prepared. I wasn't the top student and I felt my grades could use a little tweaking. But Poptropica had taken up a lot of my night study time and my general energy, so it'd been harder to study. Getting a break would definitely help knock me back into school shape (and I had more confidence now, so I was more motivated to study).

I wasn't thinking about that as I approached Chrissi's table. Part of me couldn't believe I was doing this, either. I was going to speak to my tormenter, the girl I'd feared - who was really only serving the true villain. Louisa. I gulped every time I thought of her. Regret pounded through my heart. It still felt like my fault she was gone. I'd watched her die. I could have done something, anything. My mom had told me there was nothing I could've done - so did everyone else. It was like losing my dad. Things just happened sometimes.

I walked up to Chrissi at her lunch table. She was sitting on her own. She had become very anxious and highly strung, even though she'd had therapy. She could barely focus on anything in class. Poor thing. "Hi." I greeted quietly. The red-haired girl repaid my (hopefully) friendly stare with a blank one. Her fist clenched. Fear rose in my chest.

"Alice," she said after a moment's silence. She relaxed (to my relief!). "What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you," I replied. I gulped. "About Louisa."

"Louisa," Chrissi slowly said her name, pain destroying her voice. I felt awful. I could've done something. You're useless, my old insecurity whispered. You couldn't save anyone.

"Yeah," I replied, biting my lip. I sat at her table. "I'm sorry. I could've saved her. But I didn't because..." I'm a stupid coward, I finished in my head. A stupid coward. Tears formed in my eyes. "I'm sorry. You must hate me."

"Sorta," Chrissi replied, staring at her lunch. She didn't look very hungry. "Louisa told me about her entering... that game. She said she didn't know how. Something to do with prophecies and the future - I guess that's how you got in. Anyway... the first time she entered, she said she woke up on a blimp, travelling across an ocean. The blimp crash-landed into said ocean. She was washed up onto... what was it, Mythology Island...? She stayed there for a bit. One day, she decided to climb some tree with golden apples, and that's how she met... him..."

"Zeus," I mumbled. I gazed at Chrissi. "Go on."

Chrissi sighed. "Lousia told us all about her plans with him. She said she was going to rule all of Poptropica and kill you - the prophecy was about her, apparently. She said that you were a menace and in her way. She was always saying that to us. She said once you were dead, Poptropica would belong to her and Zeus. She didn't say she was going to die." She looked frustrated.

"The others and me were used to her being a little angry and creepy, but even we were concerned when she started acting differently," Chrissi continued. "She was 'showing her true colours'. She was getting excited and evil and a whole lot of other things. That's when we started doubting her plans - they were really getting to her head. She got furious and that's the last time we heard from her." She bowed her head.

"So that's what happened..." I said aloud. I placed a hesitant hand on Chrissi's shoulder. "I didn't know all that happened to you, Chrissi. I'm so sorry." I paused, my heart throbbing. "Trust me, I know what it's like to lose someone. Do you know why I let you bully me? It was because Dad left my life and I was left with a mental - and formerly physical - scar. I became vulnerable and my confidence went down the toilet. I didn't know what to do. I turned to Poptropica as a solace. I never thought I would enter it. And... I have to say, it really opened up some doors for me."

"Explains your leg." Chrissi grunted, eyeing my leg. I gave the air a gentle kick; it didn't hurt. I loved my new leg.

"Yeah," I said brightly. I frowned. "I didn't ask to be part of some big prophecy, though. My whole Poptropica adventure has been absolutely insane. Fierce Fox could be a little harsh, my mom was anxious, so was I, and..." I looked away. "There's still so much to be scared of. It's not over yet. But I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to go on another adventure back there. It's given me so much and it kills not being there right now. But if there's something I've learned - you don't always get what you want or deserve. Life's not fair. But we can't give up on ourselves and hide - we have to face the truth head-on. I believe that's the best thing I've learnt and will hopefully help me work on myself."

"Haven't you learnt a lot, Crashice?" Chrissi asked jokingly. "Know-it-all. You're not so bad. Honestly, Lousia was a little..." She pouted. "Unpredictable. She wasn't the greatest person. I know she was resentful about her mom, but..." She frowned. "It wasn't right to torment you for something that's not even your fault. If there's something that damned therapy taught me, it's that." She gave me a grin. "I'm sorry, Alice. I was a jerk working for a messed-up girl."

"It's okay." I replied genuinely. It was hard for me to be mad at Chrissi. She wasn't really a terrible person. She was only trying to be a supportive friend to Louisa. Now that I thought about it, Chrissi was right. Lousia really wasn't the best person. Didn't mean she deserved to die. I mean, I could sympathize with her in some places. We'd both lived a similar tragedy but had different reactions. I had shut down. She became cruel and hateful. Neither was worse. We'd both suffered. And we both went to Poptropica. It had done wonders for me but definitely not for her. Life is funny like that. Everything and everyone's different. No one's perfect and it doesn't matter what you've been through. We're all in this. So why reject it?

I smiled. "Hey, do you want to come and sit with Marcus and I? I have to warn you, though: he's a major brony. If you stay friends with him for long enough you'll end up watching all seven seasons of MLP."

"Sit?" Chrissi cocked her head. She stood up. "Sounds good." She followed me over to our table. A good feeling balanced alongside my anxious feelings about Poptropica. It was always rewarding to befriend your enemies. I grinned at both as we faced each other, lunches in front of us.

"So," I began. "What are you guys doing for Christmas?"


	60. Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY DONE
> 
> Look out for the sequel my guys! :D

~A FEW MONTHS LATER; THIRD PERSON~

The mother came into her daughter's room, clapping her hands. Excitement was expressed on her face; she was merrily humming Jingle Bells.

"Merry Christmas, Alice!" the woman greeted. Alice sat up, pushing her doona back. She grinned at her mother.

"Merry Christmas, Mom." Alice replied. She stood up, a grin on her face. She peeked in her treasure box, staring at all her collectibles: the ones from Poptropica and real life. She grinned at the medallions, Mighty Penguin's address and the photo of herself on her first day of school. For once, Alice felt like the girl in the photo. Cheerful. Excited. Brave. Ready to face the future.

Alice left her bland room behind and followed her mother downstairs. She found the stairs far more tolerable, now that her leg was no longer injured. She stared at the white walls. There was a collection of family photos. One was with Alice's father holding his daughter in his arms, the mother giving him a cheeky grin. Sadness tinged Alice's emotions. She tried to think about what her father would say now. How would he react to Poptropica? My friends? Alice's mother had told her daughter he would be proud - and Alice had to agree. Still, though, she was curious.

Alice entered the living room. The decorations of the green Christmas tree glimmered in the morning sunshine, reflecting colours all over the room. Underneath it were a variety of presents for Alice and her mom. Alice kneeled down and grabbed the ones with her name - some were from friends, some were from extended family. The mother tapped her daughter's shoulder and handed her a small envelope.

"They say the best gifts come in small packages." the mother informed her daughter.

"That's true." Alice replied, accepting the envelop. Inside said thing was a candy cane, a cliche Christmas card and a Poptropica membership. Alice clapped her hands together. She stood up and threw her arms around her mother's neck. The mom squeezed Alice tightly. "Thanks, Mom." Alice grinned at her. "You're brave, too. You stayed strong after Dad left. I needed a silly video game to help me do that - you did it alone."

"Well, no, I wasn't alone," the mother chuckled. "I had you." She kissed Alice's cheek, grinning at her with her chocolate eyes. Alice shook her head.

"I was a nuisance, Mom," she retorted. She clenched her fists. "I hated myself."

"It's Christmas, Alice," the mother reminded her daughter. She cupped her cheek. "Now's not the time to be sad. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

"Okay." Alice replied, a small smile forming on her lips. She kneeled down and opened the remaining presents. Most of her family had given her books, clothes or school-related objects. One family member gave her an iTunes voucher. Another gave her money. Alice sighed. Of course, she needed school-related objects, clothes and books, but sometimes she wished adults would give her something more intriguing than just same old same old. That's why friends were good.

Marcus got Alice a Poptropica cap he made himself - with help from his Mom. On it were pictures of Alice's friends, including Fierce Fox. Alice wore the hat immediately. Its deep blue contrasted with her pale blonde locks. She wondered if Marcus - since he also wore a hat - would call the duo 'hat buddies' now. Probably. He also got her a My Little Pony figurine. Alice found herself unsurprised. Marcus' love for the show spread to his friends.

Chrissi's present was with the girl herself. Alice and Chrissi had become surprisingly good friends - she, Marcus and Alice had formed a trio. Chrissi was trying her best to make it up to Alice (since she had tormented the girl for years) by attempting to be kind, such as giving Alice a chocolate bar or being a little more patient. Alice appreciated it. Chrissi really wasn't that bad after all. Alice was almost surprised by how nice she could be. She could see why she and Louisa had been such good friends. They balanced each other out.

Today the friends were meeting each other at Marcus'. It was Marcus' last day before he went on a New Years holiday to visit extended family, so it was very important. It was because of this holiday Marcus had given Alice her present early - so he 'didn't forget'. Alice informed her mother about this meetup.

"I remember," her mother replied. She smiled. "I'm so proud of this little friendship circle you've made. And Chrissi is in it! Chrissi! She's really changed, hasn't she?"

Alice nodded. "You bet."

Marcus had a nice house, Alice had to admit. It was one-level - unlike hers - with greys walls and a tiled roof. A nice driveway with a freshly-cut lawn was in front of it. Alice and her mom trudged up the driveway and stood in front of the wooden door. Marcus' mom answered it, greeting everyone with a Merry Christmas. Marcus himself came to the door, followed by Chrissi. He was wearing a green and red shirt with My Little Pony characters and blue jeans. His shaggy brown hair was underneath his My Little Pony cap, sticking out in certain places. His brown eyes glimmered. His tan skin looked appealing underneath the t-shirt.

Chrissi had her fiery-red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her pale skin shone in the bright light of Marcus' home. She was wearing a simple, fluffy pink sweater with a cat face and black pants. Both she and Marcus were wearing trainers. Alice had dressed herself up in a red t-shirt and wore a green scarf, just for the sake of Christmas spirit.

"Hey," Alice greeted. "Merry Christmas." She gave Marcus and Chrissi their Christmas gifts.

"You're wearing the hat!" Marcus observed Alice, grinning cheerfully. "Now we're the hat duo!"

"I knew you would say that." Alice sighed. "Thanks for the MLP thing, by the way. I forgot which character it is, though."

"Am I not part of the 'hat duo'?" Chrissi asked, crinkling her nose.

"Oh, no, I got you a hat," Marcus told her. He put a beanie on her head. "Merry Christmas - I gave Alice her gift but I forgot to give you yours! My memory is freaking great."

"Okay, you gave both of us the same gift." Chrissi commented. She observed the beanie. It had little things stitched onto it, such as food, the Game of Thrones symbol (the three letters), music notes, and a soccer ball. "But this is really cool." She turned the hat inside-out and saw a My Little Pony character printed on the fabric. She sighed.

"My mom's good at making hat stuff." Marcus said. He grinned. "But I helped as well. I dunno how long you guys can stay here - Mom still wants to pack for tomorrow." He stared at the gifts. "For now, I can open these. If you girls want Christmas stuff - mince pies, hot cross buns, hot ch-"

"Aren't hot cross buns for Easter?" Chrissi interrupted.

"Really? I always thought they were for Christmas," Marcus mused, making a face. He shrugged. "Anyway, there's food. Have what you want. Well, don't touch the chocolate - that's mine - but anything else you can have. Right now, ladies, I have these presents to open." He opened Chrissi's present. She got him a My Little Pony backpack and an iTunes voucher. Marcus grinned. "Nice! Now I don't have to use that old crappy backpack from five years ago." He rolled his eyes. Then he turned to Alice's present.

"I have a feeling it's gonna be Poptropica related," he grumbled, shaking his head at Alice. She laughed. Marcus tore off the coloured wrapping paper. Inside was a My Little Pony jacket and figurine. Marcus looked happy. He put the jacket on and grinned.

"I know what you like." Alice told him, rolling her brown eyes. "Unlike you, I don't force my friends into fandoms they don't want to join." Marcus gave Alice a jokey stare of loathing. Chrissi opened her present from Alice. It was a Christmas socking and a Game of Thrones-themed scarf. Marcus enviously eyed the chocolate. Then Chrissi gave Alice her present. Alice opened said gift: it was a Poptropica t-shirt and an iTunes voucher.

"Well, now I've got two iTunes vouchers," Alice commented. "I can pretty much buy any album I want." She slipped on the Poptropica shirt. It was decorated with the many vibrant characters of the game. Alice smiled at her friends. "Thanks, guys. They're amazing!" She hugged her friends. Chrissi gave a short laugh and Marcus became a little anxious. But they both hugged back. After that, Marcus led the friends over to the living room. It was much nicer than Alice's, to her envy.

It was spaced out with a wooden floor. A grey, fluffy carpet was holding a glass table. Artwork was printed on the vibrant, red walls. Fake vases were holding fake plants. A Christmas tree was near a glass door that led to the backyard. Wrapping paper was scattered on the glass table. The friends sat on the large, pale couch. Marcus' mom offered them mince pies and gingerbread men.

"We've got so much food lying around," she exasperated. "We're going away for three weeks and it'll spoil by then. So, it'd do us a favour - not forcing you, kids - just putting it out there."

"I'll have a mince pie, then." Alice volunteered, grabbing a pie. Chrissi took a few gingerbread men. Marcus had some of his precious chocolate.

"Yeah, we're in a bit of a rush," he sighed. "Dad and Iris have gone to see Gran and give her a Christmas gift, then they're coming back to help with the packing." Iris, Marcus' older sister, was an independent adult who lived with her boyfriend. She was coming on the family vacation alongside Marcus.

"Well, I hope you have fun," Alice told Marcus, a glint in her eyes. "I don't think I can go on vacation this year - not after what happened in Poptropica. I think it's best if I just stay home."

"Really?" Chrissi asked. She groaned. "My holidays are going to be so boring. My siblings and I are pretty much staying home the whole time. The most exciting thing we're doing is going to see a movie. Oh, and family's coming over."

"You girls, venting about your lousy holidays, while I'll be soaking up the sunshine with my cousins!" Marcus laughed. He smirked. "And watching MLP, of course. No holiday would be complete without it." The girls rolled their eyes.

"Well, for now, I think just sitting here with you guys is fine," Alice told her friends. "It's good to be home again."

Later on, Alice came home with her presents and eight mince pies Marcus' mom had insisted she take. Alice's mother was speaking to family members on the phone, sending them her gratitude for all their Christmas gifts. Alice placed the mince pies on the kitchen table and took the presents to her bedroom. She noticed her silver laptop, which was sitting on her bedside table, was glowing in an unnatural way. Alice raised her eyebrow. She wasn't charging the computer and she was very sure she had shut it down.

Alice opened her laptop. Blinding light consumed her vision. She blinked a good few times, removing the light from her eyes. For a moment, she thought she might be back in Poptropica, but she wasn't, strangely. However, there was a new file on her computer named 'to Alice'. Curious, Alice opened the folder. Inside were a collection of things from her journeys in Poptropica. Pictures of her and Fierce Fox, pictures of friends, medallions, items from bonus quests and so much more. It almost stunned the girl.

Then Alice found a picture of a letter at the very end. She clicked on it. It was written in messy handwriting. Alice scanned it, feeling her heart clench. It was from her friends.

Hi Alice,

It's me, Fierce Fox. It's been awhile, huh? Merry Christmas. There is snow all over the place on Home Island. Amelia still smiles like the sunshine, though. Cold doesn't bother her. She misses you. So does everyone else. Pretty much everyone is sending messages to you. I piled them all together and put them into this letter for you. Then that god... Hermes (or something) delivered it to your computer, apparently. Hope you like it. I miss you too.

~Fierce Fox

Alice!

How are you? I hear you are back in your world. Fantastic! Does it celebrate Christmas as much as we do? Rather jolly, right? I wish you a very happy Merry Christmas, speaking of the topic. I would send you a present if I could. Oh, Alice, we all miss you. I hope you're doing well in your world. I should hope those people know what a hero you've been here! Anyway, I must thank you - you are a truly great friend and an extraordinary hero. Safe travels, my friend!

From Amelia.

Dear Alice,

It's been awhile since we last spoke but there's a lot I have to say. First of all, thanks for everything. The Chicago Fair would've been ruined without you! And, well, the entire world, of course. I've never been friends with many young people, but if they're all like you, I wouldn't mind befriending a few more. It was truly heroic saving the world with you and I don't think I'll do anything like that ever again. So thank you, Alice, for giving me an unforgettable friendship and experience. Oh, and Merry Christmas.

T. Edison.

Heyy Alice,

MP here. What's up? Happy Xmas! Kinda wish we spoke more. You're a pretty cool girl. I mean, hey - not everyone gets to be friends with the Prophesied Hero. But that's not just what makes you cool. You're pretty determined and brave when you put your mind to it. Okay, maybe there are braver and more determined people out there, but at least you're not arrogant like they are. And you're a pretty good cheerleader as well. Miss you to pieces, Alice. You better come back sometime, okay?

-Mighty Penguin

Hello,

Hey there! It's just me, Sprocket! Zack said I should write a letter to you, so... here I go! I know I'm just a robot, and... um, I'm not the bravest one. But being friends with you helped a lot with that! Zack is really happy about it. So, thanks, Alice! You helped a robot... and saved the world. When you come back to Poptropica, we should 'catch up'? If you want to, that is. Oh, Zack just told me it's a human holiday called Christmas, so... Merry Christmas! See you soon! (hopefully :3)

Signed, Sprocket.

Hi, Alice,

We've been on a few adventures together. All of them have been awesome (especially the one with little Carlos - what a cutie). Now you're leaving - that sucks, because I wanted to discuss a scientific theory I came up with with you. I would put it here, but it would be far too long. Besides, I want to talk about what an amazing friend you are! You not only made my life interesting, you made it brighter, too. I miss you so much. Come back to Poptropica and see me, Al! I don't wanna be stuck indoors all summer :(

Merry Christmas, and see ya later,

~C.J.

Hi Alice! Carlos here! C.J told me she was writing something to you so I wrote something as well! I hope you see this, 'cause you're awesome and totally should! Life's been great, but got better when you showed up! My friend's super jealous of me - she wanted to meet you as well. Anyway, have an awesome Christmas and I hope we see each other again!

Heya, Alice,

Merry Christmas! It's been awhile since all that Atlantic nonsense, huh? Well, things are getting back into shape and my movie's almost done. I'd like you to personally come and see it... if you're not... 'gone' as your friend described. Oh well - maybe I'll send you a copy. As a gift to you, my friend! I hope we can catch up sometime.

-Cam.

There were quite a lot of thank yous from various allies Alice had met, such as Ismael, 'Sasha', Edgar, Mr. Mews and many more. Tears were forming in Alice's eyes. These were her friends, people who still cared about her, valued what she had done. She knew she was returning to Poptropica, but she didn't know when. What if it wasn't for years and years? Alice didn't want to wait to return to Poptropica. Her friends were there. She could not leave them behind - they were the people she loved.

Alice opened Poptropica and logged in. Fierce Fox was standing on Home Island - like she had said in her letter, it was rather snowy. Alice felt tears building up in her eyes. She sniffled, wanting to be in that world - her home. She didn't want to leave, she didn't want it to stop - it'd been months since the last island and she was still grieving. Alice didn't care when the new prophecy would occur, she wanted to enter Poptropica right now.

"Let me in," she begged. "Please. My last Christmas wish." She sobbed, her cheeks wet. She bent down, taking deep breaths. She hadn't cried so hard since her dad died or her last time in Poptropica. She refused to accept the ending. For a while, she'd accepted her father's death, but she didn't make peace with it - until she entered Poptropica. It was her home. The prophecy brought her there for a reason and she needed to return.

Bright light filled Alice's vision.

Alice was standing on the wooden bridge, high above the rushing sea. Wind caressed her blonde locks. She was deep in thick, white snow, which covered the entire island. A winter wonderland. Alice gasped in surprise, her eyes filling with tears of joy again. She was here. She was home again. She saw Amelia and gave her a loving embrace. Amelia returned it, telling Alice how happy she was to see her. She gave Alice a candy cane and promised she would deliver another gift when she got the time.

"Now you'd better find Fierce Fox," Amelia told her, winking. "She'll be waiting." Alice nodded and raced off, searching for her Poptropican. She found said Poptropica near the end of the island, milling about. Alice called out her name and gave her a hug, tears of joy streaming from her eyes. Fierce Fox almost dropped her lightning staff. But she returned the hug, a large grin stretched on her own face.

"Welcome back." Fierce Fox said. She gave Alice the medallion for Monkey Wrench Island. "Merry Christmas. First island ever."

"Wow..." Alice didn't know what to say. She slipped the medallion over her neck; it glimmered gold. "Thank you." She paused. "It's unlike you to give me an island medallion. I thought you liked having them all."

"It's unlike me to miss someone so much." Fierce Fox chuckled. "Just wait until all of our friends know you're here."

"Yes," I agreed, my heart racing. "Just wait until they see I'm home again."

Will we find out where our roads go,

Are we there yet? When will we know.

Is this the life that I've been searching for?

I'm stuck outside this open door.

So when can we go find, a place that we call home.

Inside our hearts, inside our minds today....

~Princewhatever, A Place That We Call Home~

THE END.

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE2vGAO3jH8&t=12s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLCFxISM_Gg
> 
> Hey guys! So I know it's been a while since this story has finished but I am very excited to announce that the sequel will be coming soon! I have posted a trailer for it on my YouTube channel, please click the link above to view it! 
> 
> According to my calculations, the sequel will begin shortly after Grouptale finishes. Pay attention to this story and my other social media platforms for updates.
> 
> Also, thanks for 10,000 views! You guys are the best! :D


	61. FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUEL!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOHOO FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUEL! HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY AND GET READY FOR MORE OF THE STORY SOON!
> 
> Also, check out my deviantART iHateFridays for the sequel's cover! :D

~ALICE~

I woke up, feeling... pretty good. Today was a special day. I stretched, climbing out of bed. My room had become a little more colourful since I was younger; there were photos on the walls and colourful curtains, turning the sunlight various shades of blue and green. Schoolwork was covering my desk. But I wasn't worried about that today. I opened my bedroom door, and saw my mum smiling at me from downstairs.

Today was my birthday!

"Happy Birthday, Alice!" My mother grinned, holding out her arms.

"Thanks, Mom." I said, walking down the stairs to give her a hug.

"Sweet sixteen, huh?" Mom laughed. She sighed, shaking her head. "Only two more years until you're an adult..."

"Heh, yeah..." I said, faintly blushing. "And after all... I can start learning how to drive now."

I shivered. Despite everything I'd been through in Poptropica, learning to drive in the real world scared me. Especially since... well, I promised myself one thing. I would be a safe driver. And I'd stay calm. I hoped, anyway.

"Yes..." Mom looked nervous. She chuckled. "Well, anyway, it's your birthday! Your friends are coming over, right?"

"Yeah," I smiled. "Marcus and Chrissi."

Ironically, only two years ago Chrissi and I had been enemies. After Louisa died, however, we managed to turn things around and became pretty good friends. A nerdy kid called Marcus also joined the friendship group, and now we were basically the Golden Trio. Some people might have wanted twenty friends but those two were enough for me. I was happy with it. Quality over quantity, right? And besides, I had plenty more friends in Poptropica.

Poptropica... it had been a long time. I still frequently thought about my friends in there, and the new prophecy. It was scary... but I was ready. I hoped so, anyway. It had been awhile, after all. How was everyone?

That reminded me of something else...

Poptropica Worlds.

I, like many others, preferred the original game. The sound and music (and hands I guess) were all good but it was missing that vibe from the old game. Plus, no new islands had come out for a while. Despite all that, I didn't hate the new version and I actually liked the house feature. I mean, yeah, the fandom was dying because of it, but y'know. The creators just needed to update. (At least they didn't delete the original game like Club Penguin did)

I wondered what my friends thought of Poptropica Worlds. Did Fierce Fox like the hands and shoes? What about Mighty Penguin? I'd have to ask when I eventually returned to Poptropica.

But for now, it was time to focus back on my birthday. My friends and I were going to a theme park, then we were going to stuff ourselves with junk food. We were probably going to be sick afterwards but it was my birthday, and everyone lets go on their birthday, right? I wasn't scared of any roller coasters, though. I had been through much worse in Poptropica.

Eventually, my friends came over. They both gave me birthday presents and a hug. Marcus was still into MLP, and because of him I too was now a brony. Or a pegasister. He gave me a Poptropica birthday card and a plush of Fluttershy, my favourite character. Chrissi gave me a Poptropica shirt she made herself, and a sweet birthday card with pictures of cupcakes on it.

"Thanks guys," I said, giving my friends a big smile. I slipped on the shirt and put the plush in my room. "You're the best!"

"Hey, it's your birthday," Marcus smirked. "You deserve the best."

I almost blushed.

"Glad you like it," Chrissi smiled at me. "Happy Birthday, Alice."

"Thank you." I said again, full of glee. I couldn't stop smiling. That's what's weird about birthdays, you just can't stop smiling. No other day is like it. Not even Christmas. Unlike Christmas, it's your day. Your time to shine, your life to be celebrated...

You, for once, have the spotlight on yourself.

Mom took us to the theme park. We were pretty excited for the entire trip, which must've driven her crazy. One of the reasons I'd rather not have kids. I couldn't stand them screaming every ten seconds. (And besides, once you're a parent, you're a parent for life - the idea terrifies me)

Anyway, we got to the theme park. We hopped out of the car and raced to the entrance, got tickets, set up, all the normal theme park things. Then mom let us loose and we ran towards the rides. We went on a roller coaster first, and even though, yes, I'd been through much worse in Poptropica, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous. I didn't scream as we sped along the tracks, wind rushing through my hair, but my heart rate certainly increased. Marcus clung anxiously onto the safety rails, while Chrissi kept a big, excited grin on her face. At least someone was enjoying themself.

After that we went on the dodgems, which I suppose was some kind of practice for driving? I was terrible at them though and slammed into the walls and other people countless times. Chrissi chased after this one guy who cat-called her. He had a look of regret on his face. Marcus tried to avoid people as best as he could. He admitted to me later that the dodgems made him nervous. I couldn't blame him.

Chrissi, after getting out of the dodgems, actually chased that guy for a little longer. His mates thought it was hilarious, and so did we, quite frankly. Eventually she got bored and returned to us. She had the guy's phone number, though, so who knew what would happen next?

After another ride, we stopped to have a very healthy snack of chocolate bars and soft drinks. I know, you can hear Jamie Oliver cheering in the background. Mom was shaking her head at us with a goofy smile.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. We went on a bunch more rides and ate a lot more junk food. By the end, as I predicted, I was feeling kind of sick. And we hadn't even had the cake yet.

My mum and friends sang Happy Birthday to me, then I cut the cake. We all cheered and helped ourselves to a slice of the chocolatey goodness, despite how full we were already.

"Happy Birthday!" Mom cheered. My friends clapped.

I kept smiling. My inner child hadn't changed that much. Birthdays were still the best. Not much could ruin this moment.

I was happy.

The god was frowning. His face was twisted into a scowl as he lounged back into his throne. He stroked his goatee.

"No sign of her?" he asked the being below him. The young one folded his arms. He shook his head.

Hades sighed. "We will find her, at any cost. Her soul is dangerous."

"Dangerous..." echoed the younger one.

"Very much," Hades said. "Lousia Van-Tullekan's soul must be found."


End file.
